Tehran approached to compensate missing Pakistani crew members families, SHC told
Iranian flagship went missing on December 11 last year
Sindh High Court. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
The foreign affairs authorities informed on Tuesday the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the Iranian government was approached to compensate the families of the six Pakistani crew members aboard an Iranian flagship, MV Jouya-8, which went missing.
The crew members of the ship, which went missing on December 11 last year, included the captain, Syed Anisur Rehman, chief engineer, Muhammad Shoaib, electrician, Muhammad Ibrahim Soomro, chief officer, Kabir Khadim Hussain, crew member Sohail Ahmed, filter welder Muhammad Hanif and cook Abdul Razak.
MV Jouya 8: Families of crew paid a month’s salary, SHC told
Filing comments of the foreign affairs ministry on a petition seeking inquiry into the death of six Pakistani crew members, the additional attorney-general informed that the foreign ministry had approached Tehran with a request to give monetary compensation to the families of the ill-fated ship.
The federal government turned down the request for provision of compensation, saying since the missing crew members were employees of a private company, the government was not bound to give compensation to any private firm's employees. If compensated, then everyone will demand compensation from the government, he added.
The federal law officer claimed that with the efforts of the government, the family members of the missing Pakistani crew members had received a month's salary. However, he said that Islamabad had approached Tehran with a request to get the families compensation.
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The bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, took the foreign ministry's reply on its record. It summoned the captain of the missing ship, Kabir, who had returned home safely, on the next hearing to apprise the court about other missing crew members.
Case history
The petition was filed by the Ansar Burney Trust, which said a cargo ship having a Pakistani crew was hit by a missile off the coast of Mukha in Yemen. Six Pakistanis were reportedly killed and others were still missing.
The petitioner submitted that in another incident, an Iranian cargo ship, MV Jouya-8, carrying six Pakistanis, was missing since December 11.
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The petitioner's counsel submitted that families of the Pakistani crew were not receiving a positive response from government officials.
The court was requested to direct the foreign ministry to use its resources to locate the missing Pakistani crew of MV Jouya-8.
The petitioner said families of the missing crew were facing great hardships in receiving salaries and other benefits from shipping agents and the government was not taking any steps to ascertaining their whereabouts.
The court was informed that under clause 20 of the government article of the agreement signed by each crew member, in case a ship went missing or was not located for 90 days since its last port call, the ship would be considered sunk, its crew assumed drowned and the owner of the ship liable to pay all dues and death compensation to the heirs.
Sindh police chief back in the saddle
The court was pleaded to direct the shipping agent to process the compensation claims of the crew members' families.
Earlier, the shipping agent Arabian Marine Service had informed the court that the process of compensation will be initiated when the ministry would notify it about the crew members being missing or dead.
The foreign affairs authorities informed on Tuesday the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the Iranian government was approached to compensate the families of the six Pakistani crew members aboard an Iranian flagship, MV Jouya-8, which went missing.
The crew members of the ship, which went missing on December 11 last year, included the captain, Syed Anisur Rehman, chief engineer, Muhammad Shoaib, electrician, Muhammad Ibrahim Soomro, chief officer, Kabir Khadim Hussain, crew member Sohail Ahmed, filter welder Muhammad Hanif and cook Abdul Razak.
MV Jouya 8: Families of crew paid a month’s salary, SHC told
Filing comments of the foreign affairs ministry on a petition seeking inquiry into the death of six Pakistani crew members, the additional attorney-general informed that the foreign ministry had approached Tehran with a request to give monetary compensation to the families of the ill-fated ship.
The federal government turned down the request for provision of compensation, saying since the missing crew members were employees of a private company, the government was not bound to give compensation to any private firm's employees. If compensated, then everyone will demand compensation from the government, he added.
The federal law officer claimed that with the efforts of the government, the family members of the missing Pakistani crew members had received a month's salary. However, he said that Islamabad had approached Tehran with a request to get the families compensation.
Sindh High Court extends pre-arrest bail of Sharjeel Memon
The bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, took the foreign ministry's reply on its record. It summoned the captain of the missing ship, Kabir, who had returned home safely, on the next hearing to apprise the court about other missing crew members.
Case history
The petition was filed by the Ansar Burney Trust, which said a cargo ship having a Pakistani crew was hit by a missile off the coast of Mukha in Yemen. Six Pakistanis were reportedly killed and others were still missing.
The petitioner submitted that in another incident, an Iranian cargo ship, MV Jouya-8, carrying six Pakistanis, was missing since December 11.
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The petitioner's counsel submitted that families of the Pakistani crew were not receiving a positive response from government officials.
The court was requested to direct the foreign ministry to use its resources to locate the missing Pakistani crew of MV Jouya-8.
The petitioner said families of the missing crew were facing great hardships in receiving salaries and other benefits from shipping agents and the government was not taking any steps to ascertaining their whereabouts.
The court was informed that under clause 20 of the government article of the agreement signed by each crew member, in case a ship went missing or was not located for 90 days since its last port call, the ship would be considered sunk, its crew assumed drowned and the owner of the ship liable to pay all dues and death compensation to the heirs.
Sindh police chief back in the saddle
The court was pleaded to direct the shipping agent to process the compensation claims of the crew members' families.
Earlier, the shipping agent Arabian Marine Service had informed the court that the process of compensation will be initiated when the ministry would notify it about the crew members being missing or dead.