Eight Pakistani who survived the tragic accident of migrant boats last month near Morocco have returned home, authorities confirmed on Saturday.
The survivors arrived in Islamabad on flight QR614, where the authorities began to interrogate them about their trip.
The returnees have been identified as Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Aparel, Irfan Ahmed, Arsalan, Ghulam Mustafa, Badr Mohiuddin, Mujahid Ali and Tasveer Ahmed.
His ages range between 21 and 41 years, and come from Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat and Jhelum.
The authorities revealed that these people tried to enter Spain illegally through Dubai and Senegal.
On January 16, a boat that transports irregular migrants from Mauritania to Spain overturned on the coast of Morocco. The boat, which had left Mauritania on January 2, had 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistani.
The Moroccan authorities reported that the incident occurred near Dakhla, where 36 survivors were rescued.
The initial investigations suggest that they had paid great sums of human smuggers for the trip.
According to the reports, the traffickers sent them to Dubai in visas visas before enruting them through Ethiopia and Senegal.
From Senegal, the group was put in a boat to Spain. The survivors alleged that the smuggers submitted them to physical abuse before the fatal journey of the sea.
The authorities are now collecting information about the human trafficking network, which is believed to operate from several regions in Punjab.
Officials have urged citizens to avoid illegal migration routes and verify travel arrangements through official embassies.
The Federal Research Agency (FIA) continues efforts to dismantle traffic networks that exploit vulnerable people seeking opportunities abroad.
Earlier this week, the federal government had eliminated the general director of FIA Ahmed Ishaque Jehangir, citing serious administrative failures.
Jehangir’s dismissal occurred in the midst of growing criticism for the management of the cases of human trafficking, particularly their slow response to the recent tragedies of migrant boats. The sources indicate that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the decision after concerns about the inability of the FIA to stop the illegal migration networks.
