KURRAM: Grief has engulfed the families of 13 young men from Parachinar who were abroad a boat that capsized off the Libyan coast last week.
The victims’ relatives, including Syed Javed Hussain, Israr Bangash and Bashir Hussain, told Dawn that they had been desperately looking for updates since the Foreign Office issued a list of those, who travelled in the ill-fated vessel, lately but their efforts had so far been unsuccessful, to their frustration.
According to the Foreign Office, the Kurram residents, who were on board, included Saqlain Haider, Shoaib Hussain, Nusrat Hussain, Shoaib Ali, Syed Shahzad Hussain, Asif Ali, Musawar Hussain, Aswar Hussain, Abid, Syed Zeeshan, Musayyib Hussain and Ashfaq Hussain.
Syed Shahzad Hussain was the only brother of five sisters from the outskirts of Parachinar. After completing his FSc course, he had hoped to fulfil his dream of getting to Europe. His father has been working in Kuwait for many years and is still out of the country.
Activists demand jobs for youth, strict action against human traffickers
Bashir Hussain from the village of Luqmankhel, Parachinar, said that two members of his family were aboard the boat, but the name of one appeared on the Foreign Office’s list, while the other’s was missing.
He said he had established contacts with various offices for the body of his nephew.
Syed Javed Hussain from the Zaidan village in Parachinar said six of his close relatives were on the boat, and only one of them, Syed Zeeshan, had been confirmed dead.
He said he had managed to contact Hussnain but was struggling to reach out to the others.
“Hussnain told me that he witnessed 15 bodies being pulled out from the water, after which the police took them away in their vehicles,” he said.
Mr Hussain quoted Hussnain as saying that most survivors could not walk due to extreme cold and died as they remained in the water for seven hours causing water to enter their ears and stomachs. He said the rain and severe cold caused deaths.
“Hussnain revealed that they were only two to two and a half hours away from Italy when their boat ran out of fuel, and a severe storm caused it to capsize. The people who fell off the boat were never seen again. The survivors created a human chain and they’re saved by rescue teams after seven hours of long wait and struggle,” he said.
According to Mr Hussain, women family members still don’t have complete information regarding the boat accident as they have not been informed about the deceased.
“Family members are concerned so they’re trying to contact responsible individuals and use WhatsApp numbers and social media, but so far, there has been no positive response, which is increasing their anxiety.”
Regarding the agents, Mr Hussain said the agents had made many promises and claims to the people boarding the boat and collected Rs3.7 million.
He added that most of the young people had to mortgage their fields and land or take loans at interest to make the payment.
“Now, they have lost both their lives and money, as they are no longer in contact with the agents, who have gone into hiding after the incident.”
He advised others to avoid such risks and stay away from human traffickers and agents to prevent such accidents in the future, despite the unemployment and insecurity in Parachinar.
Israr Bangash from Shalozan village in Parachinar told Dawn that two of his family members, Zawulqarnain and Zeeshan, were aboard the ill-fated boat.
He said since the accident occurred, he had not been able to contact them, leaving him extremely worried.
“Their contact numbers are unreachable, and the survivors who have contacted me disclosed that they haven’t seen the two young men after the accident, increasing my anxiety,” he said,
Tribal leader Jameel Hussain said it was not the first boat accident that led to deaths of people from Parachinar.
He said several similar incidents had occurred in the past, including a boat sinking in 2012 that killed 75 people from Parachinar on their way to Australia.
“Parachinar’s youth are constantly risking their lives.”
Mr Hussain said the families of those missing in the 2012 Australia boat tragedy were still waiting for their loved ones to return.
“Widows of those missing persons have not remarried, as they are waiting for their loved ones to return,” he said.
The tribal leader also said instability in the region since 2007 had led many people, especially youth, from Kurram district, to head to other countries, especially those in Europe.
He said the trend continued to grow, and with the recent insecurity in Parachinar, the number of people trying to leave for foreign countries had increased.
“People who have not been able to return to Parachinar due to road blockages over the last few months prefer to go to Europe or other countries,” he said.
Social activist Mir Afzal Khan told Dawn that as there had been instability in Kurram since 2007, employment opportunities had vanished.
He said people, especially youth, were leaving their educational pursuits unfinished to seek work abroad.
“A majority of these young people are going through illegal agents who charge hefty amounts and attempt to smuggle them to Europe or America. As a result, many die due to drowning in boat accidents or facing deadly conditions on difficult routes,” he said.
The activist said in the recent incident, a boat sank on the way from Libya to Italy, causing 13 young men from Parachinar to drown.
He said scenes of devastation were unfolding in those victims’ homes, with parents heartbroken, children orphaned, and women widowed.
Mir Khan demanded of the government to improve security situation in Kurram, create jobs for youth, and take strict action against human traffickers.
Our correspondent from Bajaur adds: A family from the tribal district on Saturday appealed to authorities to expedite efforts to trace and hand over the body of their member, who was among Pakistani nationals who lost lives in the Libyan boat tragedy.
Muhammad Iqbal of Sadiqabad town in Khar tehsil, said his family was anxiously waiting for the body of his son, Sirajuddin, 27, who was among the victims confirmed by the Foreign Office.
He requested the Foreign Office and other authorities to ease their misery by ensuring the early handover of the body.
Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025
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