ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Tuesday that Libyan authorities have recovered bodies of at least 16 Pakistani nationals who had died in a shipwreck off the Libyan coast, while around 10 Pakistani citizens were still missing.
The boat capsized near the port of Marsa Dela in the northwest of Zawiya city in Libya, according to the Pakistani Foreign Office. It prompted the Pakistani government to activate a crisis management cell to confirm if any Pakistanis were on board.
A team from the Pakistani embassy in Tripoli visited the Zawiya city on Tuesday and met local officials and hospital authorities, and the Foreign Office, citing unconfirmed reports, said the boat was carrying 63 Pakistani nationals.
“So far, 16 dead bodies have been recovered and their Pakistani nationalities established on the basis of their passports,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“There are 37 survivors, including 1 in hospital and 33 in police custody. Reportedly, around 10 Pakistanis are missing in the accident. Three of the survivors are in Tripoli and being looked after by the [Pakistani] embassy.”
It said the Pakistani embassy in Tripoli was in the process of gathering further information from local authorities.
The latest tragedy comes weeks after at least 13 Pakistanis died when a boat carrying 86 migrants to Europe capsized near the coast of Morocco on Jan. 16.
Each year, thousands of Pakistanis pay traffickers large sums for risky and illegal journeys to Europe, hoping to find work and send money back to their families. Many also take these perilous routes to escape conflicts and religious persecution.
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for strict action against people involved in human trafficking, saying that no negligence would be tolerated in this regard. He expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and assured that the government was undertaking comprehensive measures to combat the crime.
“The prime minister has requested a report on the incident from the relevant authorities,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on human trafficking rings facilitating dangerous sea journeys for migrants, as many of its nationals frequently drown on overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migrant route.
In 2023, 262 Pakistanis were among the hundreds who died when a vessel sank off Greece’s Pylos. Recently, five Pakistanis perished in a shipwreck near Gavdos on Dec. 14.
Bodies of 16 Pakistanis recovered after shipwreck off Libya, Foreign Office says
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Bodies of 16 Pakistanis recovered after shipwreck off Libya, Foreign Office says
- The boat carrying over 60 Pakistanis capsized near port of Marsa Dela in northwest of Libya’s Zawiya city
- Libyan authorities have rescued 37 people, while around 10 Pakistanis are still missing after the incident
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
