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Poverty Drives Pakistanis Away
KARACHI — Grinding poverty and soaring unemployment are forcing thousands of Pakistanis to seek a better life elsewhere, mostly through the booming illegal immigration business that reportedly involves corrupt officials and lawmakers.
"I was tempted to try my luck by my neighbor who has been in Muscat [Oman] for the last 15 years, and earning good," Siddique Khan, one of hundreds of illegal immigrants deported from the Sultanate of Oman, told IslamOnline.net.
The father of five used to work as an agricultural laborer in the small town of Daska, located in northern Pakistan, before he decided to embark on the risking adventure.
"I had taken this risk due to my financial condition. The money I used to earn was hardly enough for 15 days of month," he complained.
"I had to borrow loans and seek help from my friends and family members to cope with my expenses for remaining days."
Khan said his group, which included 29 other people from different areas of Pakistan, paid Rs 25,000 to RS 30,000 (400 dollars to 500 dollars) each to different agents.
As always, he never met that "agent" and only dealt with him though a middle-man.
"He told me to come to a park in nearby city of Sialkot, with money and other documents, and hand them over to a person namely Anwer, who would recognize me by my apparel," Khan recalled.
Cross-countries
Khan traveled to the southern port city Karachi via train and stayed at a hotel for two days.
"There were some 40 other people. We drove to Balochistan (southeastern province which borders Iran and Afghanistan) and entered Iran after a 19-hour journey.
"From Iran, most of us traveled towards Muscat via boat, while a few used a different route to enter Turkey."
More
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1173695051306&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
The father of five used to work as an agricultural laborer in the small town of Daska, located in northern Pakistan, before he decided to embark on the risking adventure.
"I had taken this risk due to my financial condition. The money I used to earn was hardly enough for 15 days of month," he complained.
"I had to borrow loans and seek help from my friends and family members to cope with my expenses for remaining days."
Khan said his group, which included 29 other people from different areas of Pakistan, paid Rs 25,000 to RS 30,000 (400 dollars to 500 dollars) each to different agents.
As always, he never met that "agent" and only dealt with him though a middle-man.
"He told me to come to a park in nearby city of Sialkot, with money and other documents, and hand them over to a person namely Anwer, who would recognize me by my apparel," Khan recalled.
Cross-countries
Khan traveled to the southern port city Karachi via train and stayed at a hotel for two days.
"There were some 40 other people. We drove to Balochistan (southeastern province which borders Iran and Afghanistan) and entered Iran after a 19-hour journey.
"From Iran, most of us traveled towards Muscat via boat, while a few used a different route to enter Turkey."
More
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1173695051306&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
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