A Chinese citizen has been killed while another has been seriously injured in a factory accident in Multan which has raised multiple questions regarding the attitude of Pakistani authorities.
According to the details available, an FIR was registered in Muzaffarabad police station. As per the report, a Chinese citizen Zong Sheng was killed while another citizen Zong Kezuh became seriously injured in a factory accident. The deceased was being kept in the morgue since the incident had happened while the latter has been admitted to a hospital for treatment. The dead body and the patient could not be dispatched to the neighboring country, reportedly, for lack of funds, air ticket and compensation issues.
The factory, Wahid Metal Works, was sealed on August 20, 2020, on charges of spreading air pollution and having illegal installations. But the factory owners Nabeel Shahzad and others de-sealed the factory and started operation. On January 15, 2022, poisonous gas was leaked in the chamber of the plant, which affected 13 workers — including two Chinese workers. One Chinese citizen died at the spot while the other sustained brain damage and was initially admitted to the Nishtar Hospital Multan. He was then shifted to the General Hospital Lahore for brain treatment and was ignored by the health staff.
A woman claimed to be the wife of the deceased worker and said that there was no need for postmortem adding that she doesn’t want to proceed legally against the criminals. The lawyer representing the Chinese citizens, Naseer Ahmad Kamboh, questioned her relationship with the deceased. He said that she did not present any proof that she was his wife and neither police nor any other agency questioned it.
Moreover, the woman was not available for any cross-questioning casting doubt that she received money from the owners of the factory, the lawyer argued. The eligibility of this Chinese widow will determine the pace of proceedings against the factory owners.
Minute Mirror contacted the lawyer representing the injured Chinese citizen who said that the hospital staff was not cooperative. Kamboh further added that he had also moved an application to the health secretary pointing out the apathy of the health staff in the treatment of the foreigner. He said that the secretary took notice and hospital administration shifted the injured to the intensive care unit (ICU). But the injured Chinese citizen has already lost his memory, is physically weakened and is suffering from a urinary infection.
The lawyer said that when he talked to the District Commissioner Amir Karim, he seemed to advocate the factory owner’s stance. The DC was of the view that the Chinese citizens were illegally working in Pakistan; hence they can’t be fully compensated. He ignored that the government had provided them with security like all other Chinese citizens working across the country.
The Chinese citizen has moved an application to the Supreme Court of Pakistan Human Rights Cell and demanded of the chief justice to take a suo moto notice.
Kamboh further said that if the administration didn’t pay the injured he would not be able to fly to his homeland China. He said that he also approached the IGP requesting him to shift the investigations of the case from Multan to Lahore. The lawyer argued that the patient couldn’t move there and defend his case. The IGP directed him to meet the city police officer, which he did.
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