Civil court returns lawsuit of citizen seeking damages

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani citizen has filed a new lawsuit worth Rs64 million against the local authority of the United States of America and his previous organisation for the losses suffered by him due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The plaintiff believes that the response to COVID-19 has been the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the American public and totally mishandled the COVID-19 outbreak.

The US local leadership restrained the severity of the pandemic for months. At the same time, the World Health Organisation (WHO) kept warning and the US refused to pay attention, the plaintiff mentioned.

The plaintiff traveled to the US with a dream that it might help him establish his career as well as he might provide better and decent financial support to his family members.

The damage suit has been moved by Ahsan, a resident of Rawalpindi, who has recently lost his job due to coronavirus, in the civil court Islamabad. The plaintiff has nominated US Embassy in Pakistan, and his previous trucking company as defendants.

In his pleading, he mentioned that he received a termination letter from the company on 01-05-2020 contended therein that due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation the company is reducing its workforce therefore the plaintiff is terminated from its work/job from 30th May, 2020.

The plaintiff said that he is a law-abiding, rule-knowing, socially responsible citizen, who earns and wins his bread and butter from his profession. His work and his earning, both are directly dependent on the conduciveness of the external environment.

“The WHO has timely and frequently advised to take preventive measures and act with due vigilance but local government mismanaged the crisis in a bad way,” he said.

The ineffectiveness and slow decisiveness of his company and local authorities who’s specific job is to help the people of his state being an elected member took a long time to realise the fact the COVID-19 was indeed a serious global problem and if they had taken effective measures beforehand they could have created a awareness earlier than it became too large to properly manage, he said.

The plaintiff demanded the court to permit a verdict that “COVID-19 was caused by the US local authorities and it has caused chaos in the lives of Pakistanis and the plaintiff. It is most deferentially requested that a decree for recovery of Rs64 million may kindly be passed along interest, periodic and actual cost joined with subscriptions”.

However, after hearing the arguments, the civil court returned the law suit with ruling that “this court has no jurisdiction to entertain the claim of plaintiff”.