Bodies of four Pakistani victims of Morocco boat tragedy repatriated
Pakistan
A boat carrying several Pakistanis was capsized near the Moroccan port of Dhakla on January 16
ISLAMABAD (APP) - The mortal remains of four Pakistani nationals who had died in a boat capsizing incident near the Moroccan port reached here on Wednesday night.
The bodies were identified after an extensive process of verification by the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA).
A boat carrying several Pakistanis was capsized near the Moroccan port of Dhakla on January 16.
The Pakistani nationals whose mortal remains arrived in Islamabad through a Saudi Airline flight SV726, included Hamid Shabbir (Passport No: CZ5133683), Muhammad Arslan Khan (Passport No: LM453261), Qaisar Iqbal (Passport No: GR1331413) and Sajjad Ali (Passport No: XX1836111).
The Embassy of Pakistan in Rabat, Morocco had informed that the repatriation of the mortal remains of other 13 Pakistani nationals perished in Morocco Boat incident were due in the ongoing week.
Talking to media, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain expressed grief and sorrow over the tragic incident stating, ”I have no words to express my pain and feeling over this incident.”
He said that all the officers were very saddened and they are standing with bereaved families at this hour of the night, adding that our ministry was trying to create legal means to refrain such untoward incidents in future.
The ministry was signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with several countries to provide legal platforms to energetic youth.
The minister said that the mafia who thinking for selling and buying the youth but on the special directives of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, we were taking strict action against such elements.
“Our ministry is creating many opportunities for the youth by setting up offices at the local level so that the middlemen mafia can be eliminated,” he said.
He said that the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister had taken strict notice of this incident and directed the authorities concerned to take strict action against these elements.
He further informed that the ministry of Overseas Pakistanis was working with various countries to open institutes in Pakistan, as Pakistani youth were very talented and train them for employment opportunities at abroad.
Chaudhry Salik Hussain said that we have many opportunities coming our way and stressed the need to mobilize and utilize them. “We are opening offices at the local level in Mandi Bahauddin and Gujarat so that people were aware of the need for human resources and can legally go abroad for them.
The minister met and condoled the victims family members who came to receive the dead bodies at Islamabad International Airport.
The relevant departments ensured all necessary arrangements to receive the dead bodies at the Islamabad International Airport as per standard operating procedures and protocols.
Earlier, the Embassy had informed that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistani nationals, setting off from Mauritania, had capsized near the Moroccan port of Dakhla.
Several survivors, including Pakistanis, were lodged in a camp near Dakhla and the Embassy of Pakistan in Rabat remained in touch with the local authorities.
The Crisis Management Unit (CMU) in the Foreign Ministry was activated and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had instructed the relevant government agencies to extend all possible facilitation to the affected Pakistanis.
