Shipwreck near Greece ends hope of better life

There was no changing their minds.

The two cousins, Imran Wazir, 23, and Abdul Salam, 25, made that clear to their families this spring when they decided to leave their village in northeastern Pakistan and pay smugglers to reach Europe. They felt they had no other good options, their relatives said.

A recent death in the family had put the burden of being the breadwinner on Wazir. And Salam had been practically attached at his cousin’s hip their entire lives, his family said. If Wazir was going, Salam was too.

So late one night in March, they hugged their fathers and brothers goodbye and set off on the journey, across hundreds of miles, by land, air, and sea, through four countries and driven by a dream of reaching a fifth. It was the last time their relatives would see them alive.

Relatives say Wazir and Salam were two of the more than 100 Pakistanis killed when a fishing boat, overloaded with as many as 750 migrants, capsized in the Mediterranean last week, the deadliest shipwreck off Greece in a decade. Locals say around 28 of those on board were from their hometown, Bandli, a vibrant green stretch of valleys along the border with India, in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir.

Now, as families wait for word about their relatives, a sense of grief and anger has settled over the village like a dark cloud. Walking down the streets, locals can hear the moans and sobs of heartbroken mothers. Echoing out of the mosque is the nearly constant recitation of the Quran as fathers plead with God to somehow keep their lost sons alive.

“I have not seen such a sad day in the village in my 60 years of life,” said Muhammad Majeed, a shopkeeper. “It’s like doomsday. The village has lost so many young, hard-working sons.”

The area, home to around 10,000 people, has a long history of young men migrating abroad. Today, nearly every family has at least one son who is in the Gulf or Europe, sending a portion of their salaries home each month, locals say.

For decades, as India and Pakistan fought over the contested area of Kashmir, the town faced frequent cross-border shelling, destroying homes and taking lives. Leaving was a way for young men to escape that violence and support their families.

In recent years, the fervor to migrate has only grown, they say. Pakistan’s years-long economic crisis has sent the price of basic goods soaring. Decent jobs have all but disappeared. And stories of men who made it to Europe have splashed across social media, encouraging others already eager to go.