Shahida Raza laid to rest in Quetta.

QUETTA -- Shahida Raza, a female Pakistani hockey player, was laid to rest in Quetta amid tears and sorrows on Friday.

Shahida, along with 63 others, died when the boat full of migrants drowned off Italy in February 2023. She was trying to go to Europe to secure a better future for herself and treat her four-year-old disabled child when the tragedy struck.

Shahida, 29, belonged to the Hazara community in Quetta. She was a national hockey player but despite this, she could not get a job to take care of her family. Shahida was very concerned about her disabled child, her family members told The Express Tribune.

The body of Shahida was brought from Karachi to Quetta by road since the flight was cancelled because of extreme weather conditions.

'Her demise pained every sane person,' Abdul Khaliq Hazara, the provincial sports minister, said after offering her funeral prayer.

He noted that she was in search of the best future because of inflation, poverty, and unemployment in Pakistan. 'This is an eye-opener for the...