SIALKOT, Aug 18: Among the 13 illegal immigrant Pakistanis who died of suffocation in a lorry container near Turkish-Greek border last week, one is Nasir Mahmood, of Jaithikey-Sambrial. His family came to know about the shocking news after the publication of pictures of their bodies in national dailies.

The family demanded that the government take measures to bring back the bodies of those who died in the container.

Nasir Mughal, father of five, was a carpenter in Muzaffarabad, where he came in touch with some human traffickers who lured him into a job in Greece.

According to Mughal’s father Karamatullah and wife Shazia, Mughal left his family for Greece via Iran and Turkey in early July after paying Rs800,000 to some Karachi-based human agents.

The traffickers, however, sold him with some other illegal immigrants to a Turkish net who bundled them into the lorry container to transport them to Greece.

Later, the traffickers parked the container at a deserted place to avoid the Turkish border security forces who were chasing them and fled. Those locked into the container later died of suffocation or starvation. Turkish officials found the container and unlocked it to find bodies in it.

Another container death victim was Khurram Shehzad, of Daska, whose body was brought here from Turkey two weeks ago. Dawn learnt Turkish authorities sent Shehzad’s body to Pakistan because his traveling documents were found in his belongings.

The aggrieved families expressed concern at inhuman practice by people traffickers and urged the government to take action against them.

Federal Investigation Agency officials said the body of the Mughal was in the custody of Turkish officials and efforts were being made to bring back the bodies.

Opinion

Editorial

Fragile peace
Updated 07 Jan, 2025

Fragile peace

Those who have lost loved ones, as well as those whose property has been destroyed in the clashes, must get justice.
Captive power cut
07 Jan, 2025

Captive power cut

THE IMF’s refusal to relax its demand for discontinuation of massively subsidised gas supplies to mostly...
National embarrassment
Updated 07 Jan, 2025

National embarrassment

The global eradication of polio is within reach and Pakistan has no excuse to remain an outlier.
Poll petitions’ delay
Updated 06 Jan, 2025

Poll petitions’ delay

THOUGH electoral transparency and justice are essential for the health of any democracy, the relevant quarters in...
Migration racket
06 Jan, 2025

Migration racket

A KEY part of dismantling human smuggling and illegal migration rackets in the country — along with busting the...
Power planning
06 Jan, 2025

Power planning

THE National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, the power sector regulator, has rightly blamed poor planning for...