Three more Pakistani sailors stranded on ship in Egypt return home

Published January 12, 2017
Ikramullah, Faridoon and Najeebullah have returned home after being stranded on a Pakistani ship in the Suez Canal for
Ikramullah, Faridoon and Najeebullah have returned home after being stranded on a Pakistani ship in the Suez Canal for

Another three sailors of the 17 Pakistani crew members stuck on a ship anchored in Egypt's Suez Canal for at least three months returned home on Thursday.

The workers had been stranded abroad for months after the Egyptian government had reportedly confiscated their passports.

A few weeks earlier, four amongst those stranded had returned to Pakistan after intervention by diplomatic authorities.

Those who returned today were identified as Ikaramullah, Faridoon and Najeebullah. They landed at Peshawar's Bacha Khan Airport early morning.

On his return, Faridoon Khan, a resident of Mardan, said that 10 Pakistani nationals are still stranded and going through a very difficult time."They have no facilities," he said.

Faridoon, appreciating the role of Pakistani embassy in Egypt, demanded that further arrangements be made for the release of other stranded Pakistani citizens.

He appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and philanthropists to play their role in helping the remaining sailors.

Najeebullah, a resident of Swat, said that those stranded had not been paid their due salaries and a case was filed in a Swiss court but was not accepted.

He also said his health had deteriorated and he was hospitalised along with the other sailors in a local hospital in Bahrain.

"Upon the captain's instructions, we were allowed to travel to Pakistan and the embassy arranged all the facilities for the journey."

The workers left Karachi on Aug 8 and reached Kuwait via Dubai. They boarded a ship in Kuwait and sailed to Egypt, where they had been stranded since Oct 14.

Chief Officer Jameel Jangian, one of those stranded on the ship, earlier told DawnNews that the shipping corporation did not pay the Egyptian government to process their travel documents, which is why it confiscated their passports.

"We are not allowed to disembark the ship and go on shore for anything," Jangian said.

The workers have been stuck in the ship anchored in the sea, away from the seashore and are running out of food and other supplies for daily use.

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