Art installation shines light on Pakistanis jailed abroad

Families of people held overseas urge govt to bring them back

ISLAMABAD: Stacks of cartons and luggage pieces have been dumped in the middle of Fatima Jinnah (Sector F-9) Park. At first glance, they could have been mistaken for a misplaced delivery of luggage from the airport. Instead, it is part of a new public art installation in the park to highlight the plight of some 11,000 Pakistanis who have been jailed abroad.

The installation, conceived and developed by artist and storyteller Fahad Naveed, has been organised by the Justice Project Pakistan called ‘Lost/Un-found’ to commemorate the International Migrants Day.

“This installation is an attempt to raise questions about the thousands of migrant workers in jails around the world,” said Naveed, a graduate of news and documentary film from New York University.

“By placing 1,100 suitcases – a fraction of the number of prisoners – in the open spaces of a park, I hope to get visitors to take pause and think about those who are locked up, and do not enjoy these freedoms,” he explained.

He added that some 11,000 Pakistanis are currently languishing in foreign jails, with almost 3,000 in jails of Saudi Arabia.

Naveed further pointed towards the weak regulation of labour migration in the country whereby thousands of mostly low-wage Pakistani workers are left vulnerable to human trafficking, forced labour, ill-treatment in detention overseas, and even run the risk of death. The families of some those imprisoned abroad attended the inauguration of the event. They appealed the government to bring their loved ones back and ensure consular protection for them.

PTI Senator Seemi Ezdi assured that the government is committed to providing relief to Pakistanis imprisoned abroad. Many of those imprisoned abroad are indigent labourers who travelled seeking work opportunities and were forced by their handlers into carrying drugs. Others were victims of human trafficking or travelling on forged documents provided by dubious overseas employment agents, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2019.