Author: Aasim Saleem | infomigrants.net | 11 August 2018
Pakistani migrant Shahid Ali left his studies for a dream of a better life in Europe only to find out that the continent was not what he expected it to be. Now back in Pakistan and trying to put his life back on track, Shahid is clear about one thing - it's not worth it.
After spending almost two and a half years and trying his luck in three European states, namely Greece, France and Italy, Pakistani migrant Shahid Ali has just returned back to his native country. Shahid wants to resume education and get back to his life in Daska, Sialkot - a small town in rural Pakistan. The twenty-three-year-old migrant has learned his lesson and wants to spread the message now so that young people from his region do not repeat the mistakes that he made.
A surreal dream - Europe
Shahid Ali reached Lesbos, Greece in January 2016. It was a tricky period for asylum seekers who wanted to travel to Western Europe. Negotiations were underway between Turkey’s government and the European Union to stem the migrant flow and as a result, migrants who were arriving at Greek islands were being detained there.
Shahid had left his home without any clue of what lied ahead. He was detained for three months in Lesbos around the time the Turkey-EU deal was signed. He told InfoMigrants, “While I was in detention, some inmates told me that to avoid deportation to Turkey, I should apply for asylum in Greece.” This was not what Shahid had in mind, but with border restrictions and the newly signed deal, he decided that a compromise was his best bet to remain in Europe. Read more>>>