My name is Ali Mubashar, and this is my journey. My life started in Pakistan over forty years ago where I was born. I was born in the year nineteen eighty, as a poor country my birth was not registered, and my correct date of birth is not clear. I am one of three brothers; second born son and I have a younger sister.
I was born into a poor family but with the love from both my parents it was a happy home until a family feud that lead me to flee the bosom of my loving family in fear of my life. This was not a simple argument with my uncle. I was beaten with an iron bar that did damage to my back. I was shot at and had to run in fear of my life with my brother. My older brother is disabled and there was no threat made against his life for this reason.
This is my journey to Ireland where I became a refuge. I am a simple man, but my journey was not simple. From leaving my home in Pakistan it took me a year to arrive in Dublin where I then sought asylum. I did not arrive in Dublin on an airplane with my suitcases; I travelled like others that flee their country in trucks, containers and in the dead of night across land and sea. I left my home on the 23rd of July 2014 and arrived in Dublin on the 28th of June 2015. Along the way I had to beg people for food and water. Shower and clean clothes were a luxury that I was not privileged to. To survive this journey were my hopes and dreams, as many that travelled before and after me from different countries across the world have failed, I could only hope and pray that I would not be one that failed. I left Gujranwala 23rd of July 2014and made my way to Karachi where I stayed for about eight weeks while my family raised enough money to pay an agent to assist my departure from Pakistan. It was the agent that decided where the final stop would be, and it was only when I arrived was, I told that this was Ireland. On the journey the agent had more clients and the group number grew. I will never know the cost incurred by my family in assisting me leaving Pakistan but a life is worth so much more than any amount of money and the love from my parents was shown to me their child in this way I will never be able to thank them enough but to make a life in Ireland , to be alive, safe is and surrounded by friends is all they ask in return.
I knew this was not going to be easy and not for the weak, but I would have been killed in Pakistan by the hands of my Uncle with no other choice I risked my life for a second time to come to Ireland.
I arrived in Dublin Ireland and felt that I had arrived in the promised land, but little did I realize that before me was again another journey that would take five more years of my life and now as my struggle continues I have to fight for my right to life again.
When it was time for my agent to leave, I was given money to go and purchase a coffee for the agent. Little did I relies at the time that this was the way the agent would leave my company and then I would be alone in Dublin again without food, water or a bed to sleep in at night. For a man that had save my life and delivered me to Ireland a job that I am sure he was well paid for, he gave me five Euros and as if I would go to purchases a cup of coffee for him. He gave me the English word for coffee and the money. I crossed the road to get the coffee. When I returned he was gone. I was thirty-five years old; with not one word of English and for the first time in my life I was alone with nowhere to go and no one to turn to for help. I waited for a few hours cold, hungry and wondered what to do when I saw a man and I approached him in the hope that he would understand my native tongue. This man spoke Urdu and I explained the position that I was in. The man said that it was time for pray and ask me to go with him to mosque I prayed that I would find the strength to understand that I now had a different life ahead of me. After praying the man explained to me where to go for help. This is the day I became a refuge. I spent 15weeks living in Dublin in an asylum seeker centre and I was the transferred to Cork where I still live. Once I reached Cork I focused on my education where I learned English and I started volunteering in a charity store. It took a long time before I called Cork my home.
I have been through the legal system in Ireland and complied with the law of this land. I had interviews in Dublin where I told of my journey to Ireland. I was not successful in my interviews, as I was very nervous, upset and was unable to get my story across because of the language barrier. I had one more opportunity to show the Irish government that I am a good, honest person that I deserved to stay in Ireland but an error from free legal aid may cost me my future in Ireland.
My solicitor and I both received a letter that needed to be returned within five working days this needed to be signed by both myself and my then free legal aid solicitor but after a number of calls from both myself and friends to his office he did not make himself available or offer an appointment to me. My five working days passed without this form (Section 49 form) been returned. This is the biggest regret of my life that this form was not returned.
I have an honour kill against me in Pakistan and if returned to my homeland I will be killed. My uncle is a rich man with connections with the police as well as the government. He will most definitely be informed if I am deported to Pakistan. I have gone to Dublin on two occasions to sign. This is a legal requirement for any person with a deportation order. I am very afraid of going to Dublin as I will not get any notice of my arrest. A friend travelled with me on the two occasions to Dublin to calm down me as well to keep me company. I will always be grateful to the friends that I have made in Cork over the last number of years. On the second signing in Dublin the immigration office took me upstairs to fingerprint me and take photographs. This is to prepare travel documents for my return to Pakistan. I am a grown man forty-years-old and I cried tears as I have done so many times in the last number of years. I have a third signing date in March, and this could be the end of my journey if I cannot get the help, I so desperately need to stop my deportation order.
I now have a private solicitor now, I and friends have written countless letters to the minister of justice, to TD, Senators and we have sent emails but to no avail. I have a petition with over one thousand signatures. I would like to get my story told to help people understand what faces me soon.