Updated on
Summary 17 Pakistanis died while 100 were rescued when a boat carrying 200 asylum seekers capsized.
Muntazir Ali, an asylum seeker currently in Indonesia told reporters that the boat was carrying 206 asylum seekers, including 153 Pakistanis who wanted to reach Australia.All 153 asylum seekers belonged to the Kurram Agency in Fata, he added. Zulfikar Shakri, a resident of Parachinar in Kurram Agency currently in Australia, told this correspondent that he and his other friends were in touch with Australian authorities to identify the bodies and inquire about the missing asylum seekers.Shakri, who is co-ordinating with the families of the missing asylum seekers, said that so far the authorities had brought 17 bodies from where the boat capsized. As many as 90 others are still missing. Of the 17 bodies, he said that 11 were of Pakistanis. Five of the injured persons had been identified, adding that they were in a hospital in Perth. According to Shakri, who obtained information from the local authorities, there were 107 survivors, 77 of whom have been identified.He said that the nationality of 33 others survival had not been ascertained. We are working to contact with Australian authorities to identify more survivors who are still unconscious.According to him, a delegation of students who are currently in Australia met with representatives of the Australian Red Cross on Monday morning.Despite insistence, the Red Cross was not able to assist because they say that the Australias departments were capable of dealing with the situation. He said that they were also in contact with Amnesty International and the Refugee Action Committee Australia to get assistance.We tried hard to speak to the High Commission of Pakistan, but they did not respond. He also said that they had tried to contact the Pakistani Consulate but they referred us back to the High Commission in Canberra, Shakri lamented.Sources in National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) said that the authority had dispatched a special team to Indonesia to help identify the bodies. Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Assemblys Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions Sajid Hussain Turi, who is member National Assembly from Kurram Agency, told this correspondent that he had forwarded a request to the Foreign Office to take steps to bring the bodies back to the country.Turi confirmed that 11 people belonging to his constituency had died in the incident and 90 others were still missing. Foreign Office spokesperson Moazam Ahmed Khan said that Pakistan embassy was in touch with the authorities concerned and trying to ascertain information about the passengers nationalities.
