Pakistanis lament the loss of hundreds of people in the Greek boat disaster. According to reports from local media, more than 200 Pakistani nationals were among the approximately 750 people who were on board the fishing trawler that capsized on June 14 off the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula. The tragedy occurred while the vessel was on its way to Europe.
At least 20 of those who went missing were residents of the city of Gujranwala, which is located in the province of Punjab. Mohsin, the cousin of Amir Malik, was one of them. On June 9, when he was boarding the boat in Tobruk, Libya, he recorded a voice message and left it behind.
Read more: Pakistan mourns as hundreds of people die in a boat accident in Greece
“As soon as he arrived in Libya, the people who trafficked him stole his phone. “There was no other way for us to communicate with him other than to go through the smuggler,” Malik explained. “That’s how we found out that he wasn’t planning to go to Europe by airline; rather, he was intending to go to Europe illegally by boat. Mohsin disclosed to us, “I am cornered, and I have no other option but to follow them.”
Because Pakistan’s economy is currently in freefall, the urgent situation is generating an incentive for Pakistanis to travel dangerous and illegal ways to Europe in the hope of a better future for themselves and their families. Officials in the area said that since the shipwreck that resulted in multiple deaths, they have detained ten people on suspicion of involvement in the trade of people.
A few kilometers from the residence of Malik, Moniza Baig stated that she has heard nothing about her son Ajmeer, who is the father of a daughter who is one year old.
Before we left, my son asked me this question: “Tell me, mom, how can I survive here?” She said, “Baby diapers are extremely expensive, milk is expensive, and I have no money to feed my children.” “The young men in each family have no future plans, and they beg their parents to sell the family home so that they can travel and find work in other countries.”
