ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday vowed to launch an all-out war on the shadowy underworld of human traffickers after state institutions were left utterly powerless to stop illegal migrants from being smuggled out of Pakistan and into Europe.
The stern warning from the prime minister comes after the tragic deaths of four Pakistani nationals in a boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte City in eastern Libya on April 12.
A visibly perturbed Sharif, who has already tasked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to go after the ruthless “dunker” gangs spiriting desperate citizens away under the radar, issued a thunderous warning: “We will not rest until this vile trade is crushed completely.”
Over four Pakistanis dead as another boat capsizes off Libyan Coast
Sharif vowed to take decisive action to dismantle trafficking networks operating with alarming impunity, a move aimed at restoring public trust in the beleaguered system, particularly the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has miserably failed to curb human trafficking.
A statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the tragic incident took place on April 12 near Harawa coast, close to Sirte city, and 11 bodies have been recovered from the sea by the rescue teams.
A team from Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli visited Sirte and confirmed the identities of four deceased Pakistanis using national identification documents, it said, adding that three of the victims were from Mandi Bahauddin, while one belonged to Gujranwala.
In a post on X, the prime minister while expressing sorrow over the incident, said: “I’m deeply saddened by reports from our Mission in Tripoli of yet another boat capsizing incident, in which at least four Pakistanis have been confirmed dead out of 11 casualties.”
He said that the Embassy of Pakistan in Tripoli and the Foreign Office are in contact with Libyan authorities to recover the remains and coordinate with the victims’ families.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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