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India-Pakistan
Policeman who survived Greece migrant boat disaster back home
2023-07-09
Read it and weep, dear Reader. Or perhaps not...
[Dawn] Hundreds of migrants colonists on board the boat that sank off southern Greece last month weren’t provided with life jackets and food, even after they paid the crew $100, said one of the Pak survivors who has returned to the country.

Usman Siddique, who was among the 12 Pakis­tanis who survived the tra­gedy, arrived at his hometown in Kaleki village on Gujrat’s outskirts on Friday, family sources confirmed. Since his return, he has met with several people whose loved ones perished in the accident.

Mr Siddique, 28, was a constable in the Gujrat police but took a year’s leave and decided to go to Italia along with his four friends, some being cops themselves. They left Gujrat for Libya in May.

At his residence, Mr Siddique told news hounds that the crew collected money for the provision of life jackets before boarding the boat.

The boat was carrying at least 700 people with around 350 Paks, mostly from Gujrat, Gujra­nwala, Mandi Bahauddin and Azad Kashmir
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
reg­ions, according to Mr Siddique.

He claimed the boat was stranded at sea after it went off course.

Around 12 hours before the sinking, a helicopter took pictures and flew away, Mr Siddique said, adding that a fat merchantman also stopped near the boat on the same day for more than an hour as the crew gave them water bottles and bread.

"Another ship arrived at the scene around 11pm and towed our boat with a rope, but as soon as the ship pulled the boat, it started breaking up."

"There was a hue and cry as people were drowning. Some held on to the rope after falling off, which kept them alive", Mr Siddique said, adding that a tourist ship arrived early in the morning and managed to get over 100 people to the shore.

He claimed there were still around 20,000 Paks in human traffickers’ safe houses in Libya, waiting to be sent to Italia via boat.

Three of his friends were also at these safe houses while another, also a police constable, had lost his life in the tragedy.

"The trafficker had pledged to send us to the destination within 10 days of leaving Pakistain, but they never fulfilled the promises and commitments despite receiving money."

For now, Mr Siddique is back at home after consultation with his family and parents. He was offered a legal permit to stay in Greece but declined the offer, as per family sources. Other Pak survivors who were still in Greece have accepted similar offers.

He advised the youth to never opt for the treacherous journey and "always prefer to live within their available resources and means. Your parents will never let you die of starvation."
Posted by:trailing wife

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