KARACHI: How Iranian Shipping Companies in league and collusion with Pakistani shipping companies employ innocent seafarers and subject those to severe legal consequences. Egyptian authorities recovered 2 tonnes of heroin and 99 Kg of Ice drugs from Iranian Ship MV Melika 2, which claimed to be in territorial waters of Egypt on April 1, 2019. They made seizure ship and arrested whole crew comprising seven Pakistani seafarers.

Nisar A Mujahid Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan narrating detail of incident told Daily National Courier about second largest drug smuggling case, death sentence of seven Pakistani seafarers on 5 September 2021 by Red Sea Criminal Court of Safaga converted by First Circuit Egypt into life imprisonment on June 1, 2022 by Supreme Court of Egypt in appeals.

Iranian Ship MV ‘Sea Horse 2’ was seized by Egyptian Navy in May 2018 at Port of Safaga, Egypt. It was confirmed by Pakistan Embassy in Cairo via telephone that crew of this ship was tried by an Egyptian court and awarded death sentences on charge of drug smuggling. Crew members of this ship were employed by Pakistani shipping company based in Karachi which also acts as agents for its Iranian Principal to sign on this Iranian ship MV ‘Sea Horse 2’.

Another Iranian Ship MV Melika 2 operated by seven Pakistani crew members was also seized by Egyptian Navy in Red Sea on April 2, 2019. They all were arrested upon recovery of 2 tonnes of heroin and 99 Kg of Ice drug while ship had left Bandar Abbas Iran on March 13, 2019 for Port of Sudan, Sudan. Six-crew members of this ship were yet again employed by same Shipping Company for same principal in Iran.

Crew was directed to deliver that shipment to Port of Sudan and was further ordered to sail silently, stopping as and when directed to discharge suspicious cargo. Ship, however was arrested by Egyptian Navy perpendicular to Port of Sudan from international water of Red Sea on April 1, 2019. All seven crew members were tried and awarded death sentences on July 5, 2021 by The Red Sea Criminal Court of Safaga, First Circuit Egypt. Their sentence was maintained in review by Grand Mufti of Egypt with final judgment being pronounced in open court on September 5, 2021 by trial court.

A long struggle entailed saving their lives through course of law by evidencing their mitigated role in alleged crimes. Finally, appeals filed against these judgments bore fruit and on June 1, 2022, sentences were converted to life imprisonment by Appellate Court of Egypt. None of native seafarers could travel from Pakistan to see them for period of three years. Sufferings of these seafarers in strange place, an unfamiliar environment in prison and treatment at hands of prison authorities caused severe mental and physical trauma.

Families of convicted seafarers still believe in their innocence, for which some even engaged Nisar Mujahid Advocate to liaison with Pakistan Embassy and Egyptian lawyer engaged for prisoners at trial and appeals. Their well-being and relevant legal issues were matters of concern, thus, for further management and facilitation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan was taken on board by lawyer.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 17 2023

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