2 weeks Ago By Imran Mukhtar
ISLAMABAD - The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday arrested a key alleged facilitator in the Morocco boat incident that killed at least 44 Pakistani illegal immigrants, last month, while traveling to Spain from Mauritania. We have arrested Abdul Ghaffar, a key facilitator in the human smuggling incident, from New Islamabad Airport, said a spokesperson of the agency, adding that a case has been registered against the accused in the FIA’s Composite Circle in Faisalabad. We’ve unearthed the human smuggling network that operates from Pakistan to Europe, he said.
The facilitator was arrested on the identification of seven survivors of the boat tragedy who had reached Pakistan the other day, according to details. The FIA has got some credible information and evidence about the human smuggling network from the accused who had been living in Mauritania since 2023. Two close relatives of the accused have been living in Mauritania since 2018 and are allegedly involved in human smuggling, the spokesperson said.
The investigation revealed that the accused had close contacts with an African-based human smuggler. Meanwhile, eight more Pakistanis, who survived the Morocco boat tragedy, landed at Islamabad Airport on Saturday via flight number QR614. Punjab CM inaugurates solarisation of tube wells The persons include Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Adeel, Irfan Ahmad, Arsalan, Ghulam Mustafa, Badar Mohiuddin, Mujahid Ali and Tasweer Ahmad.
Two each belonged to Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat and Jhelum, and they are aged between 21 and 41 years. When questioned by the FIA officials, it revealed that they attempted to go to Spain via Dubai and Senegal. They disclosed that human smugglers also subjected them to torture.
Tags: fia arrests key alleged facilitator.
