At least 76 Pakistani Shia asylum seekers who went missing after an ill-fated boat accident off the Australian coast a week ago, have established contact with their loved ones back in Kurram Agency.
Shahid Kazmi, a human rights activist from Parachinar, told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that according to his information, 151 of 217 passengers were Pakistani nationals of which 125 belonged to Kurram Agency while 26 were Hazara Shias.
According to Kazmi, 17 of these asylum seekers in Australia have been declared dead and their dead bodies were taken to shore by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The remaining survivors have been taken into custody by law enforcement agencies. While 76 residents of Kurram Agency have communicated with their relatives, the whereabouts of the remaining 49 is still unknown, he added.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Mehmood Ali and Syed Fida Hussain from Kurram Agency said that their relatives were among the missing asylum seekers. They said that the missing persons were making attempts to land in Australia in order to get political asylum for a brighter and safer future.
Families who have been able to make contact with the rescued asylum seekers quoted their relatives as saying that the doomed vessel was over-crowded while they were sailing over treacherous waters.
On June 21, a boat carrying 217 asylum seekers overturned half way between Christmas Island and the Sunda Strait in Indonesia. The Pakistanis were attempting to escape the violence and targeted sectarian killing that has plagued Kurram Agency and Parachinar for many years. While the route has been used by others escaping the Agency and targeted killing, sadly, the boat met the same demise as a few other have before.
Members of the Hazara community and residents of Kurram Agency have consistently been targeted by Sunni militants and Taliban.
In recent years, many have fled the troubled region by boat towards Australia and Indonesia. Often the passengers find themselves sailing on over-crowded boats without proper safety precautions.
In December 2011, a boat heading towards Indonesia capsized with over 190 people on-board. Of the persons on board; 90 were from Quetta with a majority of them belonging to the Hazara community.
Similarly in January 2010, another boat with 102 passengers – carrying many from Parachinar and the Hazara tribe – did not make it to shore.