Body of Pakistani youth arrives in Karachi one week after death in India

The remains of 23-year-old Aryan Shah, who died during treatment in an Indian hospital, arrived in Karachi six days after his demise and would be buried in a local cemetery in Quetta.

Aryan, who was suffering from heart and lung disease, was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on February 12; however, he could not survive despite months-long treatment, and passed away last week. 

Following the Pahalgam attack, his parents were repatriated to Pakistan, while the body of the deceased was not discharged from the hospital due to the clearance of bills. 

An official in the Chennai immigration department had stated that his body had been sent to Karachi on Monday. Still, due to the negligence of Colombian aviation, the cargo was mistakenly shipped as an empty coffin without the deceased's body.

Read: Foreign airline sends empty coffin instead of deceased Pakistani’s body from India

The deceased’s father confirmed the arrival of his son’s remains, stating that his body arrived at Karachi airport on Wednesday evening and he would be buried in a local cemetery in Quetta today (Thursday).

Aryan Shah, 23, had been treated in an Indian hospital for months. He was on the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) life support for 70 days before his demise.

According to sources, Shah's parents were sent back to Pakistan, while the hospital administration refused to hand over his remains until bills were cleared. 

The dues were cleared by the Balochistan government on the appeal of the family, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bugti, settled the medical expenses and urged the repatriation of Shah's body.

Notably, India revoked all existing visas for Pakistani nationals on April 27, except for medical visas, which had remained valid until April 29.