1 Ship, 6 Indians, 6 Months: Long Wait For Seafarers Stranded At Karachi Port

New Delhi: Eight months ago, on February 25, Vineet Kishore Mishra boarded the general cargo ship 'KEVER' as chief officer. After travelling through maritime routes involving Iran and Oman, the ship reached Karachi port in Pakistan on April 17. And since then, Vineet, along with five other Indians, has been stranded at the port with no clarity on his return home.Vineet's family has been running from pillar to post, appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to bring him back home safely.Vineet is a native of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and a father of two."Mere bache mujhse poochte hai, 'Mumma, papa kab aayenge?' (My children ask me, 'Mother, when will father come home?')," says Neha Mishra, Vineet's wife. She gives them a simple reply: "Aa jayenge (He will come)."Speaking to NDTV, Neha claimed that her husband and other seafarers have been stranded at Karachi port for over six months now with no update on when they will be freed."He was on a contract for six months, ending in August. His contract and visa have expired but he has not been 'signed off' from the vessel. No arrangements have been made for his journey back home. He is not permitted to disembark," Neha said.Neha gets to speak to her husband once in 15 to 20 days for a minute or two. Through these quick calls, she has learnt about the hardships her husband is facing on the ship."The vessel has been under complete blackout for the last three months," Neha added.The family claims food and water supply issues on the ship."My son tells me they are given two biscuits in the morning, lunch comes at 4 pm, and dinner at around 11 pm. There is no power on the ship. They are living in the dark," said Vineet's father, Lalit Kishore Mishra.Neha, along with her father-in-law, has approached several state and central authorities but all efforts have been in vain. She said they are offered assurances, but nothing moves on the ground."We have written to the government, but no action has been taken to help them. We want him to return safely to his home. We appeal to PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath, the Ministry of External Affairs to help us bring Vineet back home. I have two small kids. They cry for their father," she added.The family has flagged the issue with the Indian Embassy in Pakistan but has not receive any help. The family has now come to Delhi to raise the issue."In the last four days we have visited the Prime Minister's office, the President's office and even the Ministry of External Affairs. We have submitted our application," said army veteran Lalit Mishra.According to the family, the ship was seized immediately upon arrival in Karachi following a dispute between an Iranian company and the authorities at the port. Subsequently, the power supply to the ship was cut off, and everyone's passports were confiscated.Vineet's family is waiting for his return home.