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Oman returnees
narrate horrifying accounts of inhuman treatment
The News; Saturday December 13, 2003
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Pakistanis recently released from
Oman jails, on Friday revealed more stories of inhuman
treatment meted out to them during their illegal stay
in the Arab country.
Talking to newsmen at the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust
International (ABWTI), they said they faced the worst
days of their life during their travel to Oman and in
Muscat jails later. Many of them showed bullet marks
on their bodies and said that the way they were treated
was a serious violation of human rights and disrespect
of humanity. They expressed gratitude for Ansar Burney,
who was instrumental in bringing them back to their
homeland.
Of the 1,026 people who reached Pakistan on Wednesday,
417 stayed at the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust Centre
on Arambagh Road, Karachi, for a night. Later they were
sent to their homes in Sindh, Punjab, and the NWFP.
However, six of them are still staying at the centre
due to severe illness and injuries and are under medical
treatment. They are Nazir Ahmad s/o Lal Khan (Gujrat),
Sabir Hussain s/o Mohammad Khan (Mandi Bahauddin), Gulzar
Hussain s/o Ghulab Hussain (Chanar), Farooq s/o Haji
Sher Mohammad (Dera Ghazi Khan), Nazar Mohammad s/o
Khuda Bukhsh (Mastung) and Faiz Mohammad s/o Zabit Khat
(Parachinar).
"As we reached the Oman border, the Omani police
shot my uncle and another person dead and threw their
bodies into the water. They also shot two bullets at
me. On reaching the jail along with others, I myself
took one of the bullets out while the other one is still
lodged inside my body," said Nazar Mohammad while
sharing, with newsmen, the ordeal he suffered in Oman.
One more victim of inhuman treatment, Nazeer Ahmad,
said that they were treated like animals, even worse.
"We could not sleep properly for months. Some of
us stayed in jail toilets, where one can’t even
sit properly," he said.
Another victim, Faiz Muhammad, said that they were
really terrified on seeing bodies of men lying on border
mountains of Muscat. The bodies were of the Pakistanis,
Indians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis and nationals from
other countries. Some of them were even eaten up by
cannibals," he added.
Telling his story to newsmen, Sabir Hussain said that
he as well as others had a terrible time there. "I
had even started believing that I will soon die, but
God sent this Angel, Ansar Burney, to save us. We can’t
imagine that an Islamic country can treat human beings
that way. It was only us Pakistanis
who were treated in that barbaric manner," he said.
Bodies of Pakistanis
drowned in UAE recovered
Thge News; Tuesday February 24, 2004
KARACHI: Human and civil rights activist and Chairman
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International Ansar Burney,
Advocate, on Monday said the dead bodies of Pakistanis,
drowned in UAE seawater by human smuggler have been
found with co-operation of the UAE government.
He said a team of Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International
will leave for Dubai soon to bring the bodies back to
hand them over to their families for burial in Pakistan.
After having come to know that human smugglers had
thrown nine Pakistanis into seawater and drowned them,
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International immediately
contacted with the UAE government as well as Dubai Police
Chief Major General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim and requested
to help the trust in search of the dead bodies of Pakistani
immigrants drowned somewhere close to the Arabian Sea.
The only eyewitness survived revealed to Ansar Burney
Welfare Trust that human smugglers in the waters closed
to Dubai drowned his nine companions belonging to Mandi
Bahauddin and Sargodha areas of Punjab.
The agent took these innocent persons on a dream journey
of brighter future in the Middle East but showed them
the way to the valley of death. "They drowned in
front of me before they died, we all were crying for
help to save our lives but no one heard our hue and
cry, fortunately Almighty Allah saved my life and I
managed to reach Dubai," informed the only survivor
Qamar Zaman to his family members in Mandi Bahauddin.
Syed Fahad Burney, Vice Chairman of the Ansar Burney
Welfare Trust International said that now in Pakistan
the trust had been engaged in collecting details of
these ill-fated Pakistanis with the assistance of authorities
in Dubai and Pakistan.
Syed Fahad Burney, asked the relatives to contact immediately
to Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International at 6 Hassan
Manzil, Arambagh Road,
Karachi, Pakistan. Phone (021) 2626274, 2628719, 2623382.
Mobile 0300-8243459.
Two camel kids
handed over to parents
The News; Thursday June 10, 2004
DERA GHAZI KHAN: The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust handed
over two children made camel jockeys in the United Arab
Emirates to their parents in the suburbs of Dera Ghazi
Khan on Wednesday. Ansar Burney rescued the two children
last year with the cooperation of the Pakistan Embassy
in Abu Dhabi. Khalid, 6, and Faiz, 7, were kidnapped
from Pakistan and smuggled to the UAE for use as ‘child
camel jockeys’ with fake parents and documents.
They participated in camel race.
Pakistanis
abroad
The News Editorial; Sunday November 02, 2003
Another batch of 723 unfortunate Pakistanis who were
jailed in Oman for having illegally entered the country
have returned home through the efforts of the Ansar
Burney Welfare Trust. This is the biggest group of our
citizens to be repatriated from abroad mainly for being
without proper documents. Earlier sizeable batches had
been returned to Pakistan from Sri Lanka and United
States. It is quite possible that emboldened by the
steps taken by Oman, US and Sri Lanka, others countries
will expel Pakistanis who are jailed as usual for having
illegally entered the country. Several months earlier
there were pathetic reports of Pakistanis having suffered
death and injury in their bid to secretly cross international
borders in Europe on foot or by boats which inevitably
sank half way in the sea or rivers.
With two months yet to go, 2003 will turn out to be
the worst year for our intrepid citizens who had braved
the rigours of travel by illegal means to reach what
they saw as greener pastures in the west. Some made
it, others were caught, jailed and returned, while many
perished in the bid. The latest batch from Oman had
pathetic tales to relate of the privation they suffered—which
took the lives of many—and their languishing in
jails. They also related that at least 1500 more Pakistanis
are still in jails in Oman. Probably such a situation
will hold true for many other countries also where Pakistanis
may be in jail pending completion of their sentences.
The government is unlikely to have any figures on the
number of Pakistanis in jails in foreign lands, the
number dead or injured or those in transit. Nor could
our embassies be overly worried about what is happening
to Pakistanis in states where they are situated. It
is only through the efforts of humanitarian organisations
and people like the Ansar Burney Trust or the foreign
press that the fate of Pakistanis on the move is known.
In most times the reports are of death and injury or
time in jail. This raises the likelihood of the number
of Pakistanis who have been specifically jailed for
illegal entry into the country being legion. A census
by the government of such Pakistanis will show that
their number is considerable and increasing daily.
The latest development is certain to bring out the
best in our ministers and bureaucrats to reiterate for
the umpteenth time that exemplary action will be taken
against the criminal agents who are responsible for
human smuggling. This is a kind of ritual that has to
be performed after every such an embarrassment of having
ship and plane loads of Pakistanis being sent back.
Yet, within a few months another incident will occur
of unlucky Pakistanis being caught or getting killed
in their bid to go west.The problem obviously is that
the official machinery responsible for preventing illegal
travel abroad is well greased by the smugglers to keep
the racket a flourishing industry. The government is
well aware of this. The other problem is that worsening
economic situation at home and lack of employment will
always force people to risk their lives to earn money
through other means. This is something that does not
interest the government.
Yemen released
14 arrested Pakistanis
The News; Saturday June 14, 2003
KARACHI: Fourteen Pakistani crewmen who were stopped at
Yemen Air port on Thursday, have been released by the
Yemeni Immigration Authorities after the hectic co-efforts
by Pakistan Embassy in Yemen and Ansar Burney Welfare
Trust International. The Authorities found their travelling
documents as genuine, said e-press release on Saturday.
According to Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International,
these Pakistanis are now supposed to be arriving back
to Pakistan by Monday, June 16.
The 14 Pakistani crewmen were stuck in Aden Sea since
last 6 to 9 months and rescued only due to the hectic
efforts of Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International
and Pakistan Embassy in Yemen. These crew men were supposed
to be back home Pakistan on Friday, 13th but were stopped
by the Yemeni Immigration Authorities at Saana Airport,
while they were coming to Pakistan.
The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International had immediately
contacted the Yemen government and Pakistan Embassy
in Saana for the early release of these innocent Pakistanis
and lodged a protest in this regard with the Yemeni
Authorities.
Pakistan’s renowned human and civil rights Senior
Lawyer and Member of the American Bar Association (USA)
and International Bar Association (UK), Ansar Burney,
has thanked the Yemen government and it's Ambassador
in Pakistan for the immediate release of 14 innocent
Pakistanis, who had already suffered a lot by the hands
of a Yemeni lady who cheated them in Yemen. He also
thanked the Pakistan Embassy at Yemen for it's kind
cooperation in this regard.
Ansar Burney said that these Pakistani seamen went
to Yemen through legal procedure and their local Yemeni
agent, Mrs.Amani Shamsher, General manager of the Shipping
Company in Yemen, can be consulted with, as she was
the one who received all the seamen at the airport and
got them cleared with the immigration and helped them
in boarding the vessels.
Due to the efforts of Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International,
14 out of 40 stranded Pakistani seamen, who were stuck
in Aden Sea since last six to nine months and faced
pathetic and crucial time in Sea, were suppose to arrive
Pakistan on last Friday.
According Mrs Shaheen Burney, Vice Chairperson of the
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International, some 40 young
innocent Pakistani Seamen were stuck at the Seaport
of Aden in Yemen, from six to nine months, where they
were going to die if no help would be provided to them.
The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International tried its
best to save their lives and repatriate them back to
Pakistan.
Meanwhile Mrs Shaheen Burney has asked the families
of these Pakistanis to contact Ansar Burney Welfare
Trust International at 6 Hassan Manzil, Arambagh Road,
Karachi, Pakistan. Phone: + 92 21 2626274, 2623382,
2623383. Mobile: + 92 300 8243459 in this regard.
Camel kids
The News; Wednesday March 24, 2004
KARACHI: Two more camel jockey children Arbab, 6, and
Maher, 8, who returned to Pakistan a few days back from
the Middle East, were handed over to their parents by
the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International in Khanpur,
Punjab. In may be recalled here that last Saturday the
trust traced other families of three other children,
who were brought from ME to Pakistan. The three children
Mudassir, 6, Nadeem, 8 and Shakoor 10 were kept and
used as camel jockeys in the ME for more than two years.
Pakistanis return
from Tanzania
Tuesday September 16, 2003
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Eleven Pakistani youth languishing in the jails
of Tanzania have been freed and would be returning home
on Tuesday (today), said a press release of Ansar Burney
Welfare Trust.
1,000 prisoners would be brought
to Pakistan from Libya
The News; Sunday December 28, 2003
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust said that 1,000 prisoners
would be brought to Pakistan from Libya within a couple
of days. Vice Chairman of the Trust, Syed Fehad Burney,
said all the efforts were made to get Pakistan prisoners
in Libyan jails released.
Children
on slave labour in private jails child camel jockeys
pictures
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