ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif yesterday expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of four Pakistani nationals in a boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte City in eastern Libya.

The tragic incident occurred on April 12 near the Harawa coast, close to the city of Sirte, as reported in an official communiqué sent by the embassy to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rescue teams have so far recovered 11 bodies from the sea.

A team from the Pakistani embassy visited Sirte and confirmed the identities of the four deceased Pakistanis using national identification documents. According to the report, three of the deceased hailed from Mandi Bahauddin, while one was from Gujranwala.

In a message shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account today, the prime minister wrote, "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 added that Pakistan's Mission in Tripoli and the Foreign Office are actively working with Libyan authorities to recover the remains and ensure proper coordination with the victims' families.

PM also reaffirmed his government's resolve to crack down on human traffickers responsible for endangering Pakistani citizens."We are taking strong action against those responsible for luring our citizens into this death trap.

We will continue to come down hard on such elements so that no family has to carry the coffins of their loved ones in such accidents," he stated.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 17 2025

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