The tragic loss of life of a Pakistani nationwide soccer group participant, who had embarked upon a deadly voyage to Europe in quest of medical remedy for her disabled 3-year-old son, was confirmed on Saturday after the migrant shipwreck off the coast of Italy.
Desperate to supply her son with the medical help he wanted, the participant had sadly been inspired by hospitals to hunt assist overseas, her sister and a pal revealed.
Shahida Raza, who additionally performed for Pakistan’s nationwide area hockey group and was from Quetta in southwestern Baluchistan province, was one among a minimum of 67 individuals who perished within the shipwreck. The overcrowded picket boat they had been touring in broke aside in tough waters within the Ionian Sea off Calabria earlier than daybreak final Sunday.
The boat that set sail from the Turkish port of Izmir carried individuals from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and different nations who had been searching for a greater life in Europe. According to survivor accounts, the vessel had a minimum of 170 passengers earlier than the tragedy struck.
Raza’s sister, Sadia, stated Shahida’s makes an attempt to to migrate had one motive: “She only wanted her 3-year-old disabled son to move, laugh and cry like other children.” She added while speaking to The Associated Press, “Shahida’s sole dream was the remedy of her disabled baby. She risked her personal life after hospitals in Pakistan advised her that abroad medical assist may very well be the one choice.”
The boy, Hassan, was not on the boat and remained in Pakistan. He suffered mind harm as a child and can be paralyzed on one facet of his physique, from head to toe. It was not clear how Shahida supposed to assist him by touring abroad and leaving him behind.
“She was a courageous lady, as sturdy as a person. My sister bought her son handled on the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi. She was advised that if he was taken overseas, there may probably be a medical resolution,” stated Sadia.
Aga Khan authorities had been unable to touch upon Shahida’s case. Sadia stated Shahida additionally approached Quetta’s Combined Military Hospital, which additionally stated it may do nothing for her son.
“What a mother does for her children, nobody else can. Shahida always wanted to handle things on her own. We are proud of our sister,” Sadia stated.
Pakistanis have paid tribute to Shahida throughout the nation.
Photographs of her donning the nation’s nationwide colours and sporting accolades have appeared on tv and social media, though it was reported that most individuals got here to know of her after her loss of life as ladies’s sports activities usually are not extensively televised in Pakistan. Local media additionally quoted her household as saying she had beforehand spoken in regards to the lack of acknowledgement and recognition for her achievements.
Pakistani President Arif Alvi on Friday stated Raza’s tragedy had “deeply moved” him because the nation had failed to supply her son with medical services.
The president, who was talking at a world convention on cerebral palsy, stated the skilled coaching of well being specialists and an inclusive method from society was very important for accommodating individuals with disabilities.
Shahida’s pal, Sumiya Mushtaq, stated the 29-year-old athlete typically expressed her concern about her baby’s well being.
“The incapacity to get cured of the illness at native hospitals compelled her to discover a higher future for her son overseas,” she stated.
Her household in Pakistan on Saturday was nonetheless awaiting the repatriation of her physique.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
