Muhammad Sarwar Bhatti, 53, brother of Hameed Iqbal Bhatti, 47, who along with others went missing when a migrant boat sunk off the coast of Greece, speaks with Reuters at his residence in Khuiratta, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Salahuddin NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
KHUIRATTA, Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Reuters) - Hameed Iqbal Bhatti had prospered over two decades working in Saudi Arabia, but after returning to Pakistan three years ago, he was getting desperate.
The economy had suffered in the pandemic and his restaurant business closed. With work avenues drying up and sky-high inflation blowing a hole in his budget, the 47-year-old cobbled together $7,600 for a trafficker to smuggle him into Europe, where he hoped to rebuild the life he once had, his brother Muhammad Sarwar Bhatti, 53, told Reuters.
