Comments of Centre, Sindh, KPT sought in Keamari case

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday directed the federal and provincial governments, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and others to file comments on a petition seeking inquiry into the alleged gas leak in Keamari that took the lives of 14 people and left hundreds affected.

Pasban, through its president Altaf Shakoor, said in the petition that 14 people lost their lives and hundreds were affected due to the mysterious “poisonous gas leak” in the port area.

He said the federal and provincial authorities failed to protect the lives of citizens and no prcautionary measures were taken by the port authorities to prevent the deadly “leak”.

He also said that many people, including women, children and the elderly, died and fell ill due to negligence, carelessness and slackness, without the aid and intervention and preventive measures by the provincial and federal governments and the KPT.

The petitioner’s counsel Irfan Aziz said that the affected people of the area had become so afraid that they left their homes and moved to other areas due to the sheer negligence of the respondents who did not respond and failed to help these citizens of Pakistan.

He said that the arrangement for the off-loading of soya bean is normally carried out at the Port Qasim, but the federal minster concerned and the KPT chairman gave permission and the no-objection certificate to the MV Hercules vessel for the purpose at the Karachi Port without taking any precautionary measures, which resulted in the loss of precious lives of residents of Keamari.

He also said that the federal minister and the KPT chairman did not remove the vessel for four days, which resulted in the mounting death toll, with 14 people losing their lives due to the negligence of the respondents.

He added that the people of the area went to the Jackson police station but the SHO did not lodge an FIR against the federal minister the KPT chairman for “deliberately killing innocent people”.

He said the respondents, the University of Karachi and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre have already confirmed through their reports that the victims died due to gas and dust of the off-loaded soya bean.

The counsel requested the court to direct the Sindh police chief to order the registration of an FIR against the federal minister and the KPT chairman in the light of the medical reports.

He also requested that the government announce compensation for the bereaved families as well as provide jobs in the KPT or any other departments to the members of the families that lost their breadwinners. He further asked that MV Hercules be impounded until the disposal of the petition.

The federal and provincial law officers and the KPT’s counsel sought time to file comments on the petition. The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro instructed them to file their comments by April 8.