(17 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dhola, Gujarat District, Punjab – 17 January 2025
1. Various of relatives mourning two men who died in boat sinking
2. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Ahsan Shehzad, father of boat sinking victim Sufyan Ali:
“The voice message I received from my son said the boat in which they were traveling had a capacity of 50 people, but there were 65 Pakistanis sitting there, and 25 more Black people trying to get in. They forced their way in.”
3. Shehzad showing photo of son on mobile phone
4. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Ahsan Shehzad, father of boat sinking victim Sufyan Ali:
“We request the government of Pakistan and the international government, the international community, the rescue teams, the Red Cross, whoever they are, we beg them to use their resources to bring our children’s bodies back to Pakistan.”
5. Various of Shehzad seated with other relatives
6. Close of mobile screen with Sherhzad showing images of his son and nephew, who both died in the incident
7. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Ahsan Shehzad, father of boat sinking victim Sufyan Ali:
“More and more people are leaving the country because the conditions here are getting more and more difficult. People are not getting jobs, so people are leaving due to unemployment. I had a conversation with my son on January 2nd. He said, "Please pray for me. I am leaving for myself and for you. God willing, I will pay off all your debts that I remember when you raised me."
8. Various of Shehzad’s brother-in-law Shokat Ali, who lost his son Atif Shehzad, lying down with relatives around
9. Cutaway of relatives
10. Ali sobbing holding mobile phone with photo of his son, UPSOUND (Urdu) “Oh my sweet son, oh my brave son.“
11. Various exteriors of Shehzad’s house and street
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jaurah, Gujrat District, Punjab – 17 January 2025
12. Various of Muhammad Akram, who lost son in the incident, with relatives offering prayers
13. SOUNDBITE (Punjabi) Muhammad Akran, father of boat sinking victim Abu Bakar:
“The agent demanded 3,500,000 rupees (12590 USD). I asked, ‘how are you going to take my son?’ And he said, ‘via a direct flight.’ I asked, ‘on proper visa?’ He said ‘yes, on a visa.’ I said, ‘that’s fine, I will pay 3,500,000.’ So they took him to Morocco by air and there they put him on a boat.”
14. Close of Akram showing mobile screen with photo of his son
15. SOUNDBITE (Punjabi) Muhammad Akran, father of boat sinking victim Abu Bakar:
“He called and said, ‘we are leaving.’ I asked, ‘how are you going?’ He replied, ‘father don’t worry, just pray.’ I asked him, ‘are you going by plane or how are you going?’ He just said, ‘please don’t ask, just pray.’ That’s all he said to me on January 2nd, around 0930 p.m. Pakistan time, after that I didn’t have any contact with him.”
16. Various exteriors of Akram’s house and street
17. Street scene in Jaurah town
STORYLINE:
More than 40 Pakistanis are feared to have drowned in the capsizing of a boat off West Africa’s Atlantic coastline, which has emerged as a primary point of departure for migrants aiming to reach Europe.
Relatives gathered to mourn as the country’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, expressed grief over the deaths and stressed the need for strict measures to curb human trafficking.
Zardari’s comments in a statement late Thursday came after a Spain-based migrant rights group, Walking Borders, said 50 people had died on their way to the Canary Islands and that 44 of them were Pakistanis.
The group said the migrants began their journey on Jan. 2.
He appealed to the authorities to return the bodies of his son and nephew.
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