RAWALPINDI, Aug 16: More than 250 deported Pakistanis arrived from Turkey on Saturday on two separate Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights, immigration officials said.

Of the 261 deportees, nearly 40 were children aged between 14 and 15, while some were suffering from bullet injuries, pain in limbs and joints and had severe torture marks on their bodies.

Most of them said they paid Rs350,000 to Rs500,000 to agents who took them to Iran and later they entered Turkey to be pushed into Greece and Italy. They said in detention centres they were meted out inhuman treatment.

Pakistanis repatriated in recent days from Turkey say they have suffered months of ‘detention’ and ‘abuse’ in prison.

The FIA’s immigration official Malik Omer Hayat said the Pakistanis deported from Turkey arrived on two separate PIA flights, PK-702 and PK-762 from Istanbul.

He said of the 261, 102 were from Gujrat, 46 from Sialkot, 48 from Mandi Bahauddeen, 42 from Gujranwala, seven from Rawalpindi, eight from Lahore, two each from Multan and Faisalabad.

The 253 deportees were shifted to anti-human smuggling cell Gujranwala while seven others were handed over to the Rawalpindi passport cell for further investigation.

On arrival at Islamabad airport, the FIA authorities recorded the statements of all the deportees. Those who were to be sent to anti-human smuggling cell Gujranwala have to wait for anther six hours as there were not enough vehicles available with the FIA authorities to transport the deportees.

Mohammad Asif, one of the deportees told Dawn that he along with his 136 group members landed in Turkey on May 18 but were arrested by Turkish authorities and they put them in Bitlas jail.

“I was psychologically and physically tortured in the prison. We were given two time meal and forced to drink stinking water,” Asif said and added: “Had I been reached Greece, I would have got job.”

Another Pakistani deportee Ghulam Murtaza who was from Wazirabad told Dawn that he left Pakistan some six months ago and reached Turkey via Iran. He said despite having been deported back to Iran from Turkey thrice, he made fourth attempt to cross Turkey but was arrested by the authorities and was put in the prison.

He said he suffered bullet injuries after he was fired upon by the Turkish authorities.

Abdul Rehman, 15, another Pakistani deportee said that he had paid Rs350,000 to agent who took him to Iran and later handed over to some other people for further journey.

Since the crisis warning over human smuggling had been issued by the Pakistani mission in Athens last year, thousands of Pakistanis have been arrested in Tukey, Iran and Greece and deported to Islamabad. And still a huge number of Pakistanis have been waiting for deportation in detention centres.