More than 40 Pakistanis are feared to have drowned in a tragic incident involving the capsizing of a boat off West Africa's Atlantic coastline, a region that has become a key departure point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. The President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and emphasized the urgent need for stringent measures to combat human trafficking.
The heartbreaking news unfolded after a Spain-based migrant rights group, Walking Borders, reported that 50 individuals lost their lives while en route to the Canary Islands, with 44 of them identified as Pakistani nationals. The ill-fated journey commenced on January 2, with a boat carrying 80 passengers, including several Pakistanis, departing from Mauritania and tragically capsizing near Dakhla, a port city under Moroccan control in the disputed Western Sahara.
Most of the Pakistani victims hailed from cities in the eastern Punjab province, prompting their grieving relatives to gather at their homes. Survivors have managed to establish contact with their families, offering some solace amidst the tragedy. In one poignant account, a family from Daska revealed that they had to sell property to raise funds amounting to millions of rupees in order to pay human traffickers to facilitate the journey of their loved ones, Arslan Ahmed and Mohammad Arfan, to Europe in pursuit of better job opportunities.
While some families have received news of their relatives' survival, others, like Ahmed's mother and Arfan's mother, remain anxious and desperate for information about their missing sons. The treacherous journey to Europe, often facilitated by human smugglers, has claimed the lives of numerous Pakistanis annually, with hundreds perishing in attempts to cross borders by land and sea.
Efforts to prevent irregular migration and smuggling have led migrants to opt for increasingly perilous routes, such as the one from northwest Africa to Spain's Canary Islands. Last year, over 50,000 migrants undertook this hazardous journey, including 178 Pakistanis. Tragically, the route has been deemed the deadliest in the world, with thousands of lives lost or individuals gone missing in the perilous waters.
As the Pakistani Foreign Ministry coordinates with local authorities and provides assistance to survivors, the harrowing incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with irregular migration. Despite the dangers, many individuals continue to embark on treacherous journeys in search of better opportunities, underscoring the need for enhanced international cooperation to address the root causes of such tragedies.
