The five Pakistani youth had died when their boat capsized while crossing the Iran-Turkey Border on Jun 27 last month.
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Director Mustafa Haider had said that the OPF was in regular contact with the Pakistani embassy in Ankara. He had said that the repatriation of bodies was taking time because the embassy was investigating the incident from different angles, as there is the issue of 'illegal immigrants' involved.
The bodies of two Gujrat-based youth are in a morgue and one has been buried, adding that the families have also been informed about the development.
Earlier, the parents of three youth belonging to Gujrat had appealed to government authorities, seeking help for the repatriation of their bodies to Pakistan. According to the families, the deceased have been identified as Muhammad Mohsin, Ali Raza and Rehman Ashraf -- aged 22-23 years.
The parents say their children went to Turkey through an agent a month ago. The agent had promised that they would travel by road but later he violated his promise and loaded them in an overcrowded boat which then met with an accident.
The families, since receiving confirmation of their loved one’s deaths in the incident, have been making efforts to bring their bodies back home. In this regard, they approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Ombudsman Secretariat, and Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis for help for the repatriation of bodies.
According to reports, a boat carrying at least 80 to 100 illegal immigrants belonging to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh had capsized in Van Lake of Turkey’s Bitlis province which borders Iran. Usually, human traffickers use that route to avoid strict checking on roads, the reports state.
The three young men were friends and belonged to the same mohalla. They were 'emigrating' in search of a bright future, said Muhammad Imran, elder brother of a deceased.
Earlier, in an application to Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis, Hafiz Ahsan Ahmed, the parents stated that they were poor people and not in a position to bring the dead bodies of their loved ones back home by themselves, and had therefore requested humanitarian assistance in the matter.