Shahida Raza, a football and hockey player who left her native Pakistan to secure medical treatment for her son, tragically died in a shipwreck off the coast of Italy last week..
Raza, 29, was traveling to Europe illegally in the hope of securing a better future for her three-year-old son with a medical condition. Passengers on board came from Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran.
At least 64 people died when the wooden boat carrying these illegal migrants broke apart on the rocks off the coast of Calabria in Italy. Two of the casualties were from Pakistan.
"We only want her body back, nothing more," her close friend Sumaiya was quoted as saying. by the CNN. "We have no knowledge of where her body is. No one is giving us any information or telling us what to do."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed human traffickers for the shipwreck, saying it is "criminal to launch a boat just 20 meters long with 200 people on board in adverse weather."
A spokesperson from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that 17 Pakistanis were rescued and two are still missing.
"Our Embassy in Rome remains actively engaged with the Italian authorities for the welfare of the survivors and transportation of the mortal remains of the deceased," the spokesperson said.
Treachorus journey in search of hope
Shahida's son had a stroke at 40 days old after he contracted a fever. The stroke left his brain partially damaged, resulting in one side of his body being paralysed from head to feet.
Medals, shields and certificates from Raza's sporting career are displayed in her family home. |
Shahida tried every measure, taking her son to different hospitals in Karachi, but none could offer any treatment. She finally took the desperate measure of taking her son abroad in the hope he could be cured.
"She said I can't see my son like this, I want him to walk like normal children, that's my only wish. She didn't want to see her son lying down helplessly," her family told the BBC.
Promising athlete but lacked finance
She lived in Balochistan, a sparsely populated and impoverished province of Pakistan, and was part of the Hazara, a minority Shia community. She played professional hockey for Pakistan's national team and was also a national football player.
Shahida Raza (front left), the Pakistan women’s hockey player is seen alongside her team | Reuters
Despite her status as an international player, she was unable to find a job in Pakistan and therefore couldn't afford her son's medical treatment.
Like every other dejected player, she knocked on every door and sent a number of applications to many government and private institutions, but all of this proved to be in vain.
Pakistani bowler Hasan Ali offered his condolences to the family. Taking to Twitter, he posted a heartwarming message.
"Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. May Allah bless her with the highest rank in Jannah and give sabr to her family."
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