Pakistani survivors of Dakhla boat incident to be repatriated: FO

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that Pakistan is coordinating the repatriation of twenty-two Pakistani survivors of the recent maritime incident near the Moroccan port of Dakhla.

“Following thorough investigations and careful coordination with Moroccan authorities, these individuals will be returned to Pakistan in batches,” the FO said.

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In addition, the Embassy in Rabat has been engaged in close collaboration with Moroccan authorities to oversee relief efforts and finalize the complicated repatriation process.

“The Embassy’s consular team in Dakhla has been instrumental in planning the return of the survivors.” it said,

The Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Unit has been actively engaged in monitoring the situation, providing necessary support to the affected individuals, and maintaining active communication with their families, according to the statement.

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It said that the national identity verification remained a critical component of this process which was completed expeditiously in coordination with the Interior Ministry and the relevant departments.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry is also facilitating the return of 11 Pakistani nationals from Mauritania, the statement mentioned, adding that these individuals have voluntarily chosen to return home and will be part of a separate repatriation process.

“The welfare of Pakistani nationals abroad remains an important priority of the government and it will continue to work to extend all possible facilitation in this regard,” the FO said.

Earlier this month, as many as 50 migrants, many of them Pakistanis, were drowned in a deadly wreck involving people trying to make the crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, migrant rights group Walking Borders said then.

Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people from the boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, on board, the group said.