October 31, 2003	Friday	Ramazan 4, 1424

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KARACHI, Oct 30: As many as 723 worn-out job-seekers, deported from Muscat, reached here on Thursday by a launch.

Their clothes were caked with dirt, as most of them remained in prison for several days before they were deported by a 113-by-35 feet launch, which had only one life boat with a maximum capacity of 30 people.

Except for the emergency passports, issued by the Pakistani mission in Oman, the deportees had no personal belongings or luggage.

According to the immigration authorities, they had been smuggled into the Gulf state through Taftan, crossing the Pakistan-Iran border illegally near Mand Ballu. The job-seekers paid different amounts, ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs25,000, they said.

Safdar Khan, a 22-year-old man from Bunair, said he paid Rs10,000 to an agent, who smuggled him into Iran. “An Iranian agent boarded me and many others on a launch and sent us to Muscat,” he said.

He said upon reaching Muscat, he was immediately arrested by the authorities. He remained in jail for 22 days before being deported.

Tasneem Khan, hailing from Bannu, and Khalilur Rahman of Bunair, had a similar tale to tell, though they were deceived by different human traffickers.

Many of them were newly-wed and had to sell out their wives’ jewellery in the hope of a better future.

Abdus Sattar, father of nine children, said he came across in Larkana, his hometown, two and a half months ago. “He assured me that I would get a job in Oman, so I paid him Rs10,000,” he said in a choked voice.

The job-seeker, who remained in jail for two months and 10 days, said he was taken to Mand Ballu and then to Iran where an Irani agent arranged his onward journey.

Mustafa and Nadeem Alam, who hailed from different parts of Punjab, said they did not have money to reach their hometowns. Nor did they know how they would get it.

The deportees, who did not fast during their three-day voyage, had to wait for hours to get through the immigration process, though a strong 17-member team of FIA immigration and passport circle staffers was deputed at Ghas Bandar.

Exhausted by hunger and thirst, the deportees heaved a sigh of relief as they found an Edhi ambulance with drinking water for them outside.

They were released one by one after the FIA checked their emergency passports. All of them are our nationals, they said.