Morocco Boat Tragedy: FIA Investigates 20 Officials for Alleged Involvement in Human Smuggling
Following the tragic Morocco migrant boat incident in which at least 44 Pakistanis reportedly lost their lives, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched an inquiry into 20 of its officials. These officials are accused of facilitating the victims by clearing their travel documents at three major airports in Pakistan.
This action comes as the federal government initiated a high-level investigation into the tragedy, where dozens of Pakistani migrants drowned while attempting to reach Spain from West Africa earlier this month.
In a statement on Saturday, an FIA spokesperson confirmed that the agency is investigating the alleged involvement of these officials in human smuggling. The officials in question reportedly approved the travel of passengers who later became victims of the ill-fated boat.
The incident occurred on January 16, when a boat carrying irregular migrants from Mauritania to Spain capsized. Of the 86 passengers onboard, 50 migrants, including 44 Pakistanis, are presumed dead. Moroccan authorities reported rescuing 36 individuals, while the remaining passengers are missing and feared dead, as per the Pakistani Embassy.
The boat departed from Mauritania on January 2, carrying 66 Pakistani nationals. The FIA revealed that Mauritania had become a “third and new route” for human smuggling, following Turkey and Libya. The officials under suspicion include eight from Faisalabad airport and six each from Karachi and Lahore airports.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has directed government ministries to coordinate efforts to provide assistance to the victims. A meeting chaired by Dar also reviewed the tragedy and the issue of third-country relocations of Afghan nationals.
Major Arrests in Human Smuggling Network
In a significant development, the FIA arrested two suspected human traffickers—a woman and her son—from Gujrat, while another suspect was apprehended in Bhimber, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The woman confessed to being part of a human smuggling network involving her three sons. One son, Khawar, reportedly transported 10 people to Senegal on his last trip in April 2024, while another son, Hasan, resides in Italy. A third son has been missing since the boat tragedy.
Investigations revealed that the human trafficking network established safe houses in Mauritania in 2024 and began transporting people there via Senegal. The group facilitated travel to Spain through Morocco using overland routes.
The FIA disclosed that Pakistanis still residing in these safe houses are awaiting further travel. Among those linked to the network is Qamar-uz-Zaman, the main suspect in last year’s Greek boat capsizing, who is reportedly in Mauritania.
The network also includes trafficker Afzal Jajja, who fled Libya after a similar incident off the Greek coast in June 2023. In that incident, over 80 Pakistanis drowned when their boats capsized near Greece on the night of December 13-14, 2024.
