On Aug 24 about three thousand Pakistani Muslim immigrants gathered at central Syntagma square in Athens, Greece waving their national flag high, shouting slogans and showing solidarity against racist attacks and police brutality. A high influx of illegal immigrants in the European Union has given rise to anti-immigrant Golden Dawn supporters accused of violent attacks on the minority community. The police continue their operations by arresting the undocumented immigrants.
That same day five hundred Pakistanis arrived in Karachi after being deported from Oman. They were detained on charges of illegal economic migration and allowed to return home after a month.
As more and more Pakistanis struggle to improve their lives by protesting for their rights and migrating to other countries in search for better opportunities, the fate of minorities and immigrants in Pakistan remains bleak.
Photos portray the inhabitants of Mehrabad lingering around a mosque near the locked family house of Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl reportedly suffering from Down ’s syndrome who was recently detained in solitary confinement amidst accusations of blasphemy.
Pakistan is also a host to the world’s largest and longest-running refugee population of about 1.7 million Afghans. They live in dire conditions with a third of them residing in camps while the rest are scattered all over the country. Recently the Pakistani government is debating whether to remove their refugee status — a step that would pressure them to go home.
