November 13. 2025
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
Three Pakistani nationals were among at least 30 fatalities of illegal migrants when their wooden vessel capsized just hours into its journey, from the coastal town of Al Zawiya in Libya on October 28, the International Organisation for Migration has confirmed with Voicepk.
The IOM said the toll of fatalities has been revised to 30 fatalities, including three Pakistani deaths (all male), from 18 fatalities reported earlier.
“Other countries of origin regarding the fatalities included Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and unknown,” the IOM said in its email to Voicepk.
At least 12 Pakistani nationals from among 64 illegal migrants were rescued on October 28 after their wooden vessel capsized just hours into its journey, from the coastal town of Al Zawiya, Libya, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). All survivors were brought safely to shore.
The IOM reported that 18 migrants died in the incident. Neither Pakistan’s Foreign Office nor the Libyan Embassy in Tripoli has issued a statement regarding the tragedy involving Pakistani nationals. The Surman incident serves as a tragic case study. According to the IOM, the vessel departed from Al Zawiya, Libya, and capsized merely hours into its journey, succumbing to high waves. The human cargo was a mix of nationalities—Sudanese, Bangladeshi, Somali, and Pakistani—all united by a shared, desperate ambition: to flee their countries and seek better lives.
In a statement posted on its official page on Facebook on November 4, Pakistan’s in Libya said it had in coordination with IOM Libya repatriated 24 Illegal Pakistani migrants from Tripoli to Islamabad. The post did not clarify whether the 12 Pakistani rescued in Oct 28 boat capsize were included among those repatriated to Pakistan. There was no confirmation from the Foreign Office regarding deaths or identities of Pakistani killed in the Oct 28 boat capsize.
The incident also raises questions about the effectiveness of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) crackdown on human smugglers, who continue to send impoverished Pakistanis abroad via dangerous routes, luring them with promises of a better life in Europe.
Yet another incident
The recent rescue of 12 Pakistani nationals from a capsized wooden vessel off the coast of Surman, Libya, is more than just another statistic in the grim ledger of irregular migration.
It is a stark and urgent reminder of a crisis that continues to claim Pakistani lives with chilling regularity.
This latest incident, occurring in late October 2025, where 64 migrants were saved – but at least 18 others perished – forces a critical re-examination of the high-profile crackdown launched by Pakistan’s FIA against human smuggling networks. Despite government assertions and a published “Red Book” of most-wanted traffickers, the relentless flow of impoverished citizens onto rickety boats underscores a brutal reality: the promise of a better life in Europe is still eclipsing the palpable fear of death at sea, raising profound questions about the efficacy and reach of the state’s counter-offensive.
The IOM’s statement highlighted the dire circumstances: “This latest shipwreck is a stark reminder of the grave dangers faced by people undertaking perilous sea journeys in search of safety and opportunity.” They further contextualized the peril, noting that the Central Mediterranean route remains one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors, with1,046 deaths and disappearances recorded since the beginning of 2025 alone, 527 of which occurred off the coast of Libya.
Conflicting reports on survivors
Meanwhile from on the ground, there were conflicting reports emerging. While the IOM confirmed 64 survivors and 18 deceased, the Libyan Red Crescent in Sabratha concurred with the body count of 18, but reported rescuing “over 90 survivors,” indicating the chaos and difficulty in obtaining accurate data in the immediate aftermath of such disasters.
A telling aspect of this tragedy was the official silence from Pakistani authorities. Efforts by Voicepk to reach the Pakistani Foreign Office and embassy officials in Libya for comments on their engagement with the survivors in Sabratha were met with no response, painting a picture of an administrative disconnect in the face of a humanitarian emergency.
Question mark on FIA’s crackdown on human smugglers
In response to mounting domestic and international pressure following a series of deadly shipwrecks, the FIA has publicly intensified its war on human smugglers. The agency’s actions are positioned as a key pillar of the state’s strategy to curb the illegal exodus.
In September 2025, the FIA released a list of 137 “most wanted” human smugglers, designating it as a critical resource for law enforcement and the public. The list revealed that the Gujranwala division was a major hub, with 70 suspects, followed by Islamabad (25), Lahore (14), and Faisalabad (13).
The FIA has reported a series of arrests, including five suspects involved in smuggling citizens to Iran and Turkiye, and another five from Gujranwala and Gujrat districts for human smuggling and fraud.
In a significant ruling on October 27, a special court in Gujranwala sentenced two human traffickers to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1.4 million each for illegally sending a youth to Libya, who later went missing in the 2023 boat capsize tragedy.
The FIA has described its “Red Book” as “a key step in strengthening efforts against human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks.” However, the persistence of departures, as evidenced by the Libyan capsize, suggests that while the crackdown may be disrupting some networks, it has yet to dismantle the deep-rooted system that preys on the vulnerable. The demand for smuggling services remains high, driven by a complex mix of economic desperation, lack of opportunity, and powerful illusions of a European utopia.
Pakistani lives lost in recent years
The tragedy in Libya is not an isolated event but part of a devastating pattern that has seen hundreds of Pakistani citizens perish on dangerous migration routes.
The Greece Boat Disaster in June 2023 remains one of the deadliest recorded migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. An overcrowded fishing trawler, the Adriana, sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece. While the exact death toll is disputed, it is estimated that hundreds drowned, including at least 262 Pakistani nationals.
The scale of this tragedy sent shockwaves through Pakistan and was a primary catalyst for the government’s renewed focus on human smuggling.
In January 2024, a boat carrying 86 migrants that had set sail from Mauritania capsized near Morocco. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people, and Pakistan confirmed that 22 of its nationals were among the survivors, implying a significant number of Pakistanis were on board and that some likely perished.
While not a single event, the data for 2024 is harrowing. A record 10,457 migrants died trying to reach Spain, with most deaths occurring on the treacherous Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands. While nationality-specific breakdowns are not always available, Pakistanis are known to be among those attempting this increasingly popular but deadly path.
This report was first published on October 29, and updated on November 13, 2025