Pakistanis abandon hopes of reaching Europe after boat tragedies

صحيفة حائل- متابعات عالمية:

KHUIRATTA: After spending weeks in Libya trying to reach Europe illegally, Mohammed Naeem Butt turned back — abandoning a journey that has already cost hundreds of Pakistani lives this summer.

Shoveling sand onto a truck surrounded by Pakistan’s Kashmir Valley, he says he ended his treacherous bid for a better life when an overloaded fishing trawler sank off the coast of Greece last month.

Up to 350 Pakistanis were believed to be among the 600 who drowned, including 24 from Butt’s hometown of Khuiratta in the lush Kashmir Valley.