Boat tragedy: Hazara community wants bodies back, asylum for survivors
Speaking at a press conference, former provincial minister Sardar Saadat Ali Hazara said a delegation had been formed which will leave for Indonesia to identify the victims belonging to the community.
There is still some confusion over the exact number of people who were on board the boat. Sardar Saadat said that around 190 people were on the boat when it capsized.
“90 people belonged to Quetta and a majority of them were from the Hazara community,” he said.
Sardar Saadat asked the Indonesian authorities and the United Nations not to punish the survivors as they were fleeing to Australia due to the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan.
He also asked the government to help the victims’ families with bringing the bodies back.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), at least 90 people from Quetta were on board the boat.
“As many as 15 families have so far approached the desk set up by PDMA to coordinate with the victims’ families. We have information that 102 bodies have been recovered and 27 were rescued, while dozens are still missing,” said Tahir Munir, Director PDMA.
He said that most of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition and the authority had asked the families to provide details to help with identification.
Assistant Director Relief, Faisal Naseem said the Hazara community had handed over a list of 35 people. However, some names do not carry the NIC numbers and other documents.
“The bodies can be identified through DNA tests or any other information that matches since all 102 bodies are mutilated,” he told The Express Tribune. He added that Pashtuns and people from other ethnicities were also traveling on the boat en route to Australia from Indonesia.
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hazara nation is compelled to go australia etc,they are being killed in quetta pak coz of their religion n ethnicity.they are brought out of buses n killed they have buried 70 70 bodies in 1day.if international community instead of nt helping ,punish them, it ll be a shame for themsalves.i challenge if any other community was,instead of us and had tolerated that much brutality.
I think that the Australian government should accept the bodies and bury them in Australia since this is where the asylum seekers wanted to be. It is only humane. There is a precedent for this since many refugees from other countries like Afghanis, Iraqis, Tamils and Somalis who died off the Christmas Island asylum detention camps are buried in Australia.
Help the Hazaras please!
Hazaras,Ahmedis,Hindus,Christians all should leave Pakistan at the earliest. For the economically backward among them UN should assist them financially to get out of this 'land of pures'.
@Australian: you are right, xenophobes must have raised glasses on the tragedy.
To Australian's post. Hazaras are peaceful people and they practice moderate form of Islam. If they were conservative they wouldn't be facing sectarian violence against them in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
requst to all human rights to haelp hazaras in Quetta paksitan n afghanistan
sardar sadaat is really great hazara leader and being our leader really i appriceate him trying for the nation, and i also appeal from the United nations ITS christmas so on thisday plz forgive all the servivers, and i request to governament of australeyan governament to plz help this camunity on humanitarain ground as no one shameless human rights are doing any thing forhazaras, despite the fact that all terarists aretrying to kill this nation of having religious n having dif school of thought ,humanrights,UNITED NATIONS and rest of shamless media kept quiet on the such big issue of killing one nation either in pakistan afghanistan and in fact it seems that theboats are sinked due to the conspiricy of the perticular groups, plz i appeal to the prime minister of australlia to take serious action on HUMANITARIAN GROUND , make a new history as no one before did it if madam you take action 100's of yearshistory will appreciate you dear,
Recently a lebanese man was caught while trying to commit a terror act because of the cartoons 10000 miles away. what guarantee that these 90 men wont morph into terrorists because of something happening 10000 miles away.