Border crossings
“Crossing overland from Turkey to Greece in the darkness of the night on the mountainous route, the donker (human smuggler) prods you with a spear like stick. Any misstep and you fall … into a crevasse. Only your scream is heard. No one can help you. You are left to die. I have nightmares of my crossing.”
— Undocumented Pakistani man, Athens
Although migrating to Greece through informal or illegal channels is a dangerous undertaking, dreams of “making it” in Europe and providing a better life for their families motivates many impoverished South Asian men to undertake the perilous journey.
The trajectory of border crossing for the migrant men, either from Bangladesh, India, or Pakistan to Greece does not follow a linear path. The over 6,000-kilometre journey can take a few days, a few weeks, or a couple of years with each set of men resorting to different methods.
The migration route depends on how much disposable capital the men and their families can pay to human smugglers who are colloquially called dunkers. Men having more money are able to garner a tourist visa to Turkey. They fly in to Istanbul and then connect with human smugglers who take them to northern Turkey for attempted crossing into Greece from across the Evros River to Alexandroupolis. Others with less money are forced to take the overland route involving a long trek of 40-50 days across Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey with great risk-taking due to multiple border crossings, lack of food and water, physical exhaustion, and sleep deprivation.
The men call their dangerous journeys or attempted “illegal” crossings as “game” or “khela.” It is a game that they say they play with their lives in the hope of what they perceive is a better future lying ahead of them in Europe. For some, the “game” or the “khela” ends tragically as they make perilous trip across the desert in Afghanistan and Iran or when they attempt to wade across Evros River bordering Greece and Turkey.
Border crossings
-
Pakistani men
Route 1: From Gujrat in Panjab, travel to Multan, Quetta, and Dalbandin. Cross over at Taftan to Iran where the route involves trek or car travel across Zahedan, Teheran and finally to Maku. The men try to cross to Van in Turkey from where they move on to Istanbul by road. The crossing into Greece is either by sea to one of the islands or overland from the mountainous border or a wade across the Evros River.
Route 2: Travel from Mandi Bahauddin in Panjab to Karachi and from there head to Gwadar, Pakistan’s sea port. Attempt to cross over to Iran and travel from Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, and Teheran till Maku where the crossing into Turkey is attempted. The rest of the journey is the same as Route 1.
Route 3: Fly from Karachi to Tripoli, Libya. From there, attempt to cross over to Greece by sea.
Route 4: Fly Karachi to Istanbul in Turkey. From there, attempt to cross overland by walking to North Turkey and then across to Greece. -
Indian men
Route 1: Fly to Istanbul, then travel to the Greek-Turkish border for a hike across the mountainous terrain, cross Evros River from near Alexandroupolis and enter Greece.
Route 2: Cross over into Panjab province of Pakistan by foot and then move to Quetta again in Pakistan. From there, travel by foot or on jeeps, each packed with 20 – 23 men, to Iran. The crossing over to Turkey is done from North Iran with Istanbul as a resting destination before regrouping for crossing the Evros River. -
Bangladeshi men
Route 1: From Bangladesh, cross over to India by land, and then work one’s way across to Pakistan. Work for some time there, save money and pay to undertake a crossing across Afghanistan, and Iran to eventually reach Turkey. The attempt to cross into Greece occurs from the north border of Turkey, usually involving swimming across the River Evros.
Route 2: Fly from Bangladesh to Dubai on a work visa. Some attempt to move on to Europe by flying to Bahrain from Dubai and then on to Turkey. The rest of the route is similar to Route 1.
Route 3: Fly to Oman and work there for some time. From there, take a boat across to Bandar Abbas, Iran. Travel overland across Iran to cross into Turkey from the north side. Cross overland into Greece near Alexandroupolis or via Albania.
Route 4: Fly to Tripoli, Libya, and from there attempt a crossing over to either Greece or Italy using the sea route. Or attempt to take a flight to Turkey (dependent on ability to get a tourist visa) and then attempt crossing overland to Greece across the north border.
“Walking across the desert across Iran, you are given just one bottle of water. That too if you are able to pay the high price for it to the dunker. I have nightmares of that time as I remember seeing so many bodies of people who died trying to cross over. One skeleton had one shoe on - you get it only in Pakistan. I knew then he was Pakistani. Another man travelling in our team collapsed due to the heat and dehydration. We had to leave him behind and keep moving on. No value for any other person’s life then.”
— Undocumented Pakistani man, Athens
“My younger brother died while crossing from Turkey to Greece – he was only 18. He had wanted to migrate and help out too in supporting the family. Knowing the risks, I tried to prevent him from coming. What an irony that instead of hugging him, I have to see him lifeless and hold his cold body in my arms. ”
— Undocumented Pakistani man, Megara