And no one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore

— Warsan Shire

s soon as reports of a boat capsizing near Pylos, southern Greece, surfaced, an eerie silence descended over Kotli, Azad Kashmir.

28 of the people aboard the vessel that sank came from the Kotli district. At first, people did not know how to respond. The entire district suffered shock and grief.

Some found out about the shipwreck quite early, others a little later. Those who had found out hesitated to tell the bereaved families about it.

Eventually, the understanding emerged: knowing is better than not knowing.

People burdened by the weight of the bad news told the affected families about the tragedy. Then, there was panic.

Most people tried to share their neighbours’ pain. They visited the families of the deceased and tried to console them as they waited nervously for word – any word on their family members.

Muhammad Islam, aged 29, was amongst the Pakistani men that were on the trawler boat that set sail for Italy.

Islam and his cousin, Sohail Wazir, had decided to undertake the perilous journey together. Both men lost their lives in the tragedy.

“My brother Islam ran a fruit shop and my cousin Wazir had owned a grocery store,” says Tauseef Sheraz. “They were both forced by the economic crisis to take this decision [to travel].”

“The business climate was not improving. The shops were losing money,” says Sheraz.

“Islam was young. He had a whole life ahead of him. He took this step because he believed he had no other option,” he adds. “Both the men were struggling to make ends meet,” he says.

“Islam realised that there was no way he would be able to achieve stability here. The business was fledgling and inflation was rising. He could barely fend for himself with the money he was making,” recalls Sheraz.

“This was the only way out,” says Sheraz, “The environment is not conducive for business. There were no employment opportunities. Securing a government job requires bribes,” he says. “…and if one were to get a job, one would still not make enough to raise a family. Maybe that was on Islam’s mind when he decided to leave,” he says.

“…Little has been done about factors that drive migration, such as unemployment and poverty. The impact of these two is particularly pronounced in Azad Kashmir due to the region’s heavy dependence on tourism, which has suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the security situation. No large-scale industry have been set up in the region and agriculture does not provide sustainable livelihood.”

“My father, a retired army man, sold a plot and paid Rs 2.2 million to an agent who promised to take Islam to Italy via Libya,” Sheraz tells The News on Sunday.

“The pain that followed after we received news of the boat capsizing is indescribable,” says Sheraz.

“We are still in mourning. Sometimes, it seems as if we’re still stuck there – waiting for a miracle where there will be none,” he says, “sometimes, it is hard to believe that Islam is gone. It is so heartbreaking.”

According to Sheraz, after the death of his brother and cousin, their families did not receive any assistance from the government.

“Save for condolences, we have not been supported in any way,” he says. “We were told that the money paid to the agent will be recovered and returned but that hasn’t happened so far.”

While the government has initiated a crackdown against travel agents who take people abroad illegally in the wake of the Greece boat tragedy, little has been done about factors that drive migration: unemployment and poverty.

The impact of these two is particularly pronounced in Azad Kashmir due to the region’s heavy dependence on tourism, which has suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the security conditions.

No large-scale industry has been set up in the region and agriculture does not guarantee a sustainable income. This leaves many with no income except from low-wage temporary jobs.

More than 30 people from the Kotli district who tried to reach Italy are still detained in Libya. Muhammad Nisar, a father of four, is one of them. According to his family, he set off for Libya in mid-April. Nisar has been detained by the Libyan authorities.

The Adriana, a fishing trawler, capsized on June 14^th near a shore in southwest Greece. The trawler was carrying illegal migrants from Pakistan, Syria and Palestine.

According to a UN estimate, the boat was overloaded and carrying between 400 and 700 people. Out of them, 350 have been identified as Pakistanis.

The Mediterranean route which involves travelling from North Africa to Europe is one of the deadliest in the world, according to International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The UN agency estimates that since 2014, more than 20,000 people have lost their lives on this route.

The writers are freelance contributors. They hail from Kotli