Indian Coast Guard helps Pak national on high seas

NEW DELHI: The Indian Coast Guard last week helped a Pakistani National, who suffered a heart attack on high seas. The Coast Guard immediately responded to the request of medical assistance and evacuated Captain Badar Hasnain, master of the vessel MV Haykal, to a hospital in Visakhapatnam for treatment, foreign media reported.

Initial diagnosis at Queen’s NRI Hospital, Visakhapatnam pointed out that he suffered from “Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy” and was further recommended his treatment to continue in the hospital.

The Pakistan national had suffered a heart stroke on July 13, 2020, while the vessel was en route Gopalpur Port, Odisha. Captain Badar Hasnain left for Pakistan on Monday via Attari Wagah Border.

Such a response is a normal established international norm that nearest vessel should respond to any distress call in international seas. This is what happened in this case also which occurred last week. Captain Hasnain’s daughter appreciated the humanitarian gesture of the Indian government and the efforts of doctors at the hospital to provide him with medical treatment.