A place called home

It’s all the same – only the names change. In a heartbreaking case of deja vu, five Pakistanis, including a minor, lost their lives when a migrant boat capsized near Greece this past Saturday. Last year, the entire nation came together to mourn the loss of at least 400 Pakistanis who died during a precarious journey by sea to Europe. But it is quite unfortunate that, after the initial thoughts and prayers and statements by world leaders to do more to uplift the lives of people, nothing constructive happens to put an end to this awful business where ‘agents’ lure people into paying hefty sums for a life abroad. Ironically, this tragedy took place just before International Migrants Day, which falls today. But all these international ‘days’ and impressive opeds by lawmakers do not change the reality: there is a section of people so frustrated with their lives in their home countries that they do not think twice before setting out on a difficult journey where the probability of losing their lives is quite high. It is amusing that the wealthy Global North expresses concern over the plight of migrants but turns a blind eye to the suffering of the same group of people when they are in real danger.

In recent years, many Pakistanis have also developed an aversion towards the state, using any means within their reach to leave the country. And even though recent reports indicate that the grass is not always greener in the developed world, a weak Pakistani rupee and shrinking job opportunities for people mean that such reports do little to overcome the desperation to leave. Many in the developed world are now becoming more hostile towards migrants and other members of minority communities. The recent riots in the UK are a prime example of how much hate many in the West harbour against immigrant and/or minority communities. The claims of diversity and inclusivity have turned out to be a PR gimmick, providing a cover to developed countries to berate third-world countries when they falter.

Many of those getting on the ill-fated boats likely have little awareness as to what awaits them in their destination, but they know firsthand that there is not much to be gained by staying at home. This is exactly the kind of frustration and desperation that human smugglers exploit. In the aftermath of last year’s Greek boat tragedy, the families of the dead or missing claimed that individuals posing as travel agents had charged them up to Rs2.3 million to take their family members to Europe. In some cases, it seemed that those who paid thought their sons would be taken via legal means. This was obviously not the case. Aside from the illegality of this enterprise, migrant or human smugglers are notorious for keeping their victims in squalid and dangerous conditions, using unsafe transport methods and sometimes engaging in sexual trafficking of women migrants. While we cannot fix these enterprises across the world, we can certainly put our own house in order. Political parties and all stakeholders have to fix the country for our talented and hard-working young people who are forced to go abroad to provide education and a decent living to their families here. Our policymakers and leaders must realise that a destabilised country is not going to benefit anyone. Pakistan is our home, our safe space, and all of us should get together to rebuild it before it is too late.