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| India-Pakistan |
| Footprints: Back from the jaws of death OR What a failed migration looks like |
| 2023-07-16 |
| [Dawn] EVER since news broke of the tragic sinking off the coast of Greece of a migrant boat carrying hundreds of Paks, the town of Khuiratta has been in constant mourning. The air hangs heavy with the sense of loss; at least 28 young men from this area were among those killed or lost at sea in the wreck. A kilometre-and-a-half outside the main town lies the village of Bihal. Home to around 12,000 people, nearly every family in this community has at least one or two members settled abroad. This is reflected in the prosperity of the otherwise isolated settlement, and most of the houses here are nicely-built concrete affairs, located on hilly ridges. It is here, in the Simla’n neighbourhood of Bihal, where I encounter a household that was an exception. Rather than grief, there is joy in the eyes of the family members, because the seas have returned their son, Muhammad Hassan, who reached home from Libya a couple of weeks ago, following a close call with the angel of death in the Mediterranean. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 This is economic migration. The money is migrating from the pockets of these families into the bank accounts of the human traffickers. I see no wonderful advantages for society at large anywhere in it. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2023-07-16 06:21 |