Devil Soul
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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.
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.
