According to him, an Australian navy patrol boat and three cargo ships rescued 120 survivors and took taken them to the Christmas Island, located around 1,500 kilometers away from the Australian mainland. The spokesman quoted the Australian Home Affairs Minister as saying that most of the people were men and from Afghanistan. "It is highly probable that some Pakistani nationals might have been onboard," he added.
According to him, the Australian authorities do not share information of such incidents with diplomatic missions because of very stringent local privacy laws. However, Pakistan's High Commission in Canberra had approached relevant Australian authorities to ascertain the identity of any Pakistani national who might have been onboard, he added.
He said that so far, three Pakistani nationals - Muhammad Nabi, Sadiq Ali and Mehtab Hussain - had been rescued and were in a hospital in Christmas Island, Australia. The survivors who contacted their families in Parachinar, Kurram Agency, had claimed that there were Pakistanis who were untraceable, said the spokesman.
He said that the Australian authorities had been approached, but they have asked for information like dates and places of birth, UNHCR registration number, photograph, details of any identification marks, whether any of their other relatives were on the boat and the authorisation of their next of kin or the closest relatives to allow sharing of personal information with the Pakistan High Commission in Canberra (Australia).
He requested the relatives of the victims to share the information with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Pakistan's High Commission in Australia at the following numbers:-Fazal Hakeem, Deputy Director (SEAP-I), 051-9211659, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad. Tasawar Khan, Deputy High Commissioner, 0061-2-62900633, High Commission for Pakistan, Canberra (Australia) Email:[email protected]
He also advised the relatives of the victims to contact the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship directly, if they may so desire on their hotline 1300 724-010 for sharing the required information and checking on the welfare of their relatives.