Five Chitrali job seekers jailed in Iraq, also fined 1,200 dollars each
CHITRAL: Five Chitrali job seekers have been jailed in Iraq for illegally travelling to the country along with 15 others people from other parts of Pakistan.
Reports said the 20 people were sent to Iraq by agents after giving them pilgrim visas and promising that after reaching Iraq they would be provided jobs. However, the 20 people were arrested in Iraq when they overstayed their pilgrim visas.
A relative of one of the Chitralis told ChitralToday that the job seekers, all from Upper Chitral, were: Akram Niaz, son of Mirshad Muhammad, a resident of Khuz village of Tehsil Mastuj; Irshad Muhammad, son of Sakhi Jan of Khuz, Shakeel Ahmad, son of Fazal Aziz of Miragaram No.1, Muzaffar, son of Dauwlat Khan, of Miragram No 1, and Nadeem, son of Qadir Khan, of Shoost, Yarkhun. Most of these Chitralis had gone to Iraq from Karachi.The relative said Nazim Muhammad, son of Nazir Muhammad, resident of Khuz, who works in Iraq, had invited the labourers through an agent on pilgrim visas promising they would be adjusted in different jobs.
They reached Iraq along with some 15 other people from other parts of the country but could not get any job. Later, the five Chitralis were arrested in Basra. A court then jailed them for two months and also fined them 1,200 US dollars each.
The parents of the arrested labourers have appealed to the prime minister and the ministry of foreign affairs to help release them from the Iraqi jail. They also demanded strict action against the agent for deceitfully taking the job seekers to Iraq after receiving Rs150,000 each of them.—GH Frooqui