ISLAMABAD:
While many Hazaras were fortunate enough to get out of Pakistan in their efforts to escape ethnic and sectarian violence, some were not as lucky. Ninety-four members of the Hazara community from Parachinar in Kurram Agency and Quetta, Balochistan left families in June 2012. They were attempting to seek asylum in Australia.
Three members of a gang of human traffickers which was recently arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Anti-Human Trafficking Circle (AHTC) have revealed that the 94 Hazaras drowned after the sinking of the ship which was illegally transporting them from Indonesia to Australia.
“Their bodies were never found. The ship sank in the dark of night and only few managed to survive,” the human traffickers told the FIA investigators.
The families from Parachinar approached the AHTC last year after they failed to hear anything about their loved ones from either the traffickers or any of the survivors. The traffickers were running an office under the name of Tajir Travel Agency headed by their accomplice Mujahid Ahmed.
The FIA investigators arrested Ahmed in a raid around three months back. He led them to an accomplice, Muhammad Asif, who was arrested from Quetta, Balochistan. However, the main players were still on the lam.
After pressure from the relatives of the missing Hazaras increased, the traffickers moved to Islamabad. On a tip-off from informants, a team of FIA investigators headed by Inspector Afzal Niazi raided their hideout in Bhara Kahu and arrested three suspects --- Muhammad Jan, Momin Ali and Mujtaba Hussain --- all residents of Parachinar.
“They are members of a dangerous international gang of human traffickers who illegally smuggle people to Australia by sea,” said Niazi, while charting out the route that travels from Malaysia to Indonesia and ends in Australia. He said that people are sent from Pakistan to Malaysia on valid visit visas in groups of 80-90 people, before being illegally taken to Indonesia by ship.
From there on, the real dangerous journey begins. The people are moved on dark nights using boats. The boat on which the 94 Hazaras drowned was heavily overloaded.
“There were 152 people onboard a ship which only had a capacity of 60,” the suspects had told the FIA.
The traffickers have confessed to taking Rs8.6 million from the people they smuggled. However, the FIA believes the actual sum was much higher.
The gang has members present in both Malaysia and Indonesia, where they operate safe houses to hold the illegal immigrants.
Those who manage to reach Australia mostly surrender to the local authorities to seek asylum. The FIA is hopeful that the recent arrests and continuing investigations would lead to further arrests of other key gang members.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2013.
COMMENTS (7)
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unfortunately our Govt does'nt do any think for safety of Hazaras,Govt: of Australia sholud have to help Hazaras becaouse Hazara comunity are going from darkness..
the deteriorating condition for Hazara everywhere. I hope everything will be alright.
This problem is not isolated to Hazara Community; the lure to go to Australia is not a new story. The nexus of operators working in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia have been working for decades. Nearly 25 years ago one of my relatives on scam of been taken to Australia, landed in a rubber plantation in Malaysia and was being treated as a slave, before being rescued. Apart for vigilance from authorities, the ordinary people needed to be educated about these scams!!
Hazaras were always treated badly in Afghanistan which is why so many fled to Pakistan but now the hatred of Afghanistan is spilling over into Pakistan. I don't think Australia wants the Hazaras either - I have heard that they are trying to stop refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Sri Lanka by keeping all illegals in detention centres until their asylum claims are processed. If Australia doesn't want more Hazara refugees what can be done to force them to take Hazaras?
Bad indeed and unfortunate. But let us also keep this in mind; there are many who simply wish to flee and live the western life. They now have a valid excuse to do so as well.
Things in Pakistan are so bad for these Hazaras that they go through all this danger just to survive. It is just too unfortunate that their own country abandon them so they first lost their money to cruel and criminal gang in Pakistan and lost their lives in the sea. Now imagine what the families must be going through.
i am sorry to say that the people are ready to die while leaving pakistan, why FIA and The Pakistan Govt is not ready to give people the right to live happily in there own country. These people suffered too much and thousands of the sect has taken refuge in Australia because of Pakistan failure to protect them, and there is no other way to escape.