It’s all lies’; migrants stuck at Polish border feel cheated by people smugglers
Syrian friends Anas Kanaan, 34, and Mouein al-Hadi, 36, were told by people smugglers that they would easily be able to get to Germany from Belarus. They just had to…
Of smugglers and kingpins: Southeast Asia’s big money trade in humans
Around $1,100 should have secured passage for each of the Rohingya migrants who were found adrift in the Andaman Sea - victims of a dark trade in humans that pivots…
Sinking dreams
OVER the past few years, several tragic incidents have occurred involving boats carrying Pakistani migrants attempting to reach Europe through irregular channels. On June 14, 2023, the Adriana, an overcrowded…
The larger tragedy
TRAGICALLY, though not unexpectedly, there are more Pakistani bodies in the waters off Greece this month. They include a 13-year-old boy from Pasrur, who insisted on the dangerous trip, enticed…
Deeds not words
Words matter only if buttressed by deeds. The sublime phrase acta non verba - deeds not words – is attributed to Julius Caesar. Chaucer reiterated it in his General Prologue…
Greek tragedy
AMONGST the biggest stories of 2023 was the stranding and eventual capsizing of a boat in the Mediterranean carrying hundreds of people trying to smuggle themselves into Greece. The fated…
Measures aimed at checking inflation
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October 2024 was 7.2 percent against 6.9 percent the month before – a rise of 0.3 percent which, barring June 2024 when it rose…
IMF programme: lack of ingenuity?
The narrative led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is that the economy has begun to show signs of improvement, reflected by a contracting current account…
Pakistan’s human exports
WHEREVER in the world you go, you are bound to come across Pakistanis in various states of despair. These days, travel to any European capital — Athens, Rome or Paris,…
Desperate to reach foreign shores
THE boat crash that killed around 60 people, and counting, off the Italian coast of Calabria had Pakistanis on board. As the rescue mission was underway on Sunday, bits of wood…
