ISLAMABAD: Many Pakistani migrants seeking better lives in Europe faced deadly incidents during perilous journeys in 2024 and 2025.
Atlantic Ocean Catastrophe – January 2025
- A boat carrying 86 migrants capsized near Dakhla, Western Sahara, in January 2025.
- Forty-four Pakistani nationals from Punjab province lost their lives in the tragic incident.
- The boat departed from Mauritania on January 2nd and drifted for 13 days without assistance.
- Authorities rescued 36 survivors, including 22 Pakistanis and a young girl.
- This highlights the extreme dangers of migration routes used to bypass restrictive European entry policies.
Suffocation on Mauritanian Vessel – October 2024
- Four young Pakistani men died on a Spain-bound boat departing from Mauritania.
- The victims were concealed in the cargo section and suffocated due to poor ventilation.
- One victim, Abu Huraira from Wazirabad, left his home months earlier without informing his family.
- This tragedy reveals the extent of desperation driving migrants to attempt dangerous smuggling routes.
Greek Boat Disaster – December 2024
- A wooden boat carrying migrants sank near Greece’s Gavdos Island in December 2024.
- Five migrants drowned, while several others went missing in the disaster.
- Most of the 39 rescued individuals were of Pakistani origin.
- This incident led to renewed calls for combating human smuggling operations across migration routes.
Death in Greek Police Custody – October 2024
- A 37-year-old Pakistani migrant died in police custody in Athens under suspicious circumstances.
- The migrant had lived in Greece for two decades but died under questionable conditions in October 2024.
- Reports of bruises on his body raised public outrage and allegations of mistreatment.
- The case underlined how even legal migrants often face vulnerabilities in foreign countries.
Government Measures to Combat Human Smuggling
- The Pakistani government launched a nationwide crackdown on human smuggling following these deadly incidents.
- Interior Ministry officials vowed to dismantle smuggling networks destroying families and endangering lives.
- A committee was created to investigate these incidents and offer actionable policy recommendations.
- Focus remains on addressing smuggling operations and promoting safer, legal migration pathways for Pakistani citizens.
Continuous Risks for Desperate Migrants
- Economic desperation continues pushing many Pakistanis to seek opportunities through dangerous and illegal routes to Europe.
- Death tolls from risky migration routes continue to rise, despite efforts to curb human smuggling operations.
- Thousands of lives are lost yearly, highlighting the need for improved migration safety and legal solutions.
Conclusion
The period between 2024 and 2025 brought numerous tragedies involving Pakistani migrants pursuing European dreams. Urgent international efforts are needed to address these fatalities, dismantle human smuggling networks, and establish safer pathways for migration.
