QUETTA, Pakistan — Ethnic Hazaras have seen friends and relatives killed out of religious-based hatred in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and they fear more attacks are coming. In their desperation, they are turning to human smugglers, who carry deadly risks of their own.
Smugglers operating out of small, unidentified shops sell promises of a safe and better life in Australia, though Australia is trying to discourage asylum seekers from coming. Hazaras travel to Indonesia and board overcrowded, rickety wooden boats for the dangerous final leg of the journey.
Hundreds of people have died or disappeared on the way. Others have been rescued but languish in detention centers. Meanwhile, human smugglers described as a mafia by Pakistani diplomats in Indonesia are capitalizing on Hazaras' fears, building a network in different countries.