lives of desperation that makes "illegal immigrants" take such
enormously high risks? Are these risks worthwhile given that they
could end up in watery graves? Thirty-one Pakistanis were reported
killed while 37 were reported to have survived after their ship was
hit by another boat off the coast of Sicily.
These are the details of the ill-fated voyage: A passenger ship
named Friendship, flying the Panamanian flag, set off from
Alexandria in Egypt for Italy carrying nearly 400 illegal
immigrants from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. There
were 88 Pakistanis on board. They had previously entered Egypt in
small groups from different parts of Pakistan via Sri Lanka, Dubai
and Syria.
After sailing 24 hours, the Friendship transferred all its
passengers to a cargo ship. Later the passengers were off-loaded on
to a fishing trawler which sailed for 14 days and reached somewhere
near the Sicilian coast. On December 25 the captain of the ship
announced that they had reached their destination and within 2
hours they would land in Sicily.
They were later transferred to a small ferry which had a maximum load capacity of only 80 passengers but nearly 300 were dumped into it. The ferry boat developed engine trouble and water started rushing into the boat. A fishing trawler was called for help but when it appeared on the scene, the two boats collided. As a result the ferry boat sank and about 289 passengers were drowned.
On its own, this makes horrific reading. It does not require too
fertile an imagination to visualise the kind of hell in which these
passengers must have lived, the wintry conditions being only a part
of their misery. The dead were gone, claimed by the sirens of the
sea. But for the living, those who had survived, another hell was
starting. They were dumped near the Greek coast off the
Pelopponnese and left in a deserted house, where they were kept
without food and water. They fled the house and were taken into
custody by the police, in the circumstances, an act of mercy.
investigations into the affair would be completed in a couple of
weeks. Interpol will be asked to join the investigation. On
completion of the inquiries, the Greek authorities would make
arrangements for their deportation to Pakistan in consultation with
the embassy in Athens. When and if they reach Pakistan, one
presumes that they will be arrested and prosecuted. Their only
consolation will be that it will be a Pakistani jail but they can
argue, if they still have the strength to argue, that they were
fleeing from a Pakistani jail of sorts in the first place.