Parents of minor food-poisoning victims forgive Karachi restaurant owners
January 15, 2019
KARACHI: The parents of two children who allegedly died due to food poisoning after consuming substandard food at a local eatery have forgiven the restaurant owners, they said during a court hearing Monday.
During their appearance at a hearing at the Sindh High Court (SHC) scheduled earlier today, the parents of the two minors — 18-month-old Ahmed and five-year-old Muhammad — also petitioned the court to close the case.
We forgive the people responsible for our children's death, and do not wish for any further action, they said, while their lawyer, Khawaja Naveed, said the parties involved had agreed to an out-of-court settlement and wished to conclude the case.
Adjourning the hearing, the SHC, in response, noted that a copy of the agreement between the parents and the owners of the restaurant, located in the metropolis' upper-scale Zamzama neighbourhood, be submitted in the trial court.
Candies, rotten meat
The two boys had passed away last year, on November 11, after a family outing wherein they had purchased candies from a stall at a children's playland in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase 4 and, afterwards, had dined with their mother at the eatery in the city's Clifton area.
At 6 AM the following morning, their health had deteriorated, with investigation officers saying the affected family was brought to the hospital by the boys' maternal uncle and the mother's brother-in-law at around 3 PM in critical condition.
The boys' father, who worked in Lahore as a construction contractor, flew in soon after the poisoning incident.
Two days later, on November 13, the director of the Sindh Food Authority (SFA), Abrar Sheikh, said the restaurant in question had been served an improvement notice two months prior.
'Did not issue a No Objection Certificate'
Speaking on Geo News' morning talk show Geo Pakistan, Sheikh had explained that the boys' death was due to the alleged “food poisoning” and that “the restaurant had been inspected around two months ago and was served an improvement notice along with a checklist.”
“We did not issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the restaurant,” Sheikh had said, adding that they did not “have a certificate or registration process in place earlier”.
The same day, samples of more than 30 items from the residence of the bereaved family were taken and sent to a laboratory for chemical analysis and their home sealed.
In this regard, the chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, had taken a suo motu notice of the death and ordered a probe into the matter.
Hidden godown
On November 14, however, the SFA conducted a raid based on a tip-off wherein it was informed that its seal barring the entry/exit to the restaurant had been removed.
Upon arrival, officials had realised that the restaurant's supplies were being moved secretly. Meat that had expired back in 2015 was recovered, they said, adding that they noticed it had a rotting stench to it.
Sheikh, the SFA director, had said the eatery's management had earlier failed to disclose the existence of the godown. It contained food items, including beverages and meat unfit for consumption, with the expiry date clearly visible on the labels, he had mentioned, adding that an attempt was being made to move the rotten meat elsewhere.
"The meat was rotten and stinking, and we have removed it from the scene. It will be discarded because, otherwise, it is likely to cause and spread diseases," Sheikh had said.
A young man, said to be transferring the expired meat, was also taken into custody for questioning at that time.
'Very high' level of toxins
The medical reports obtained by the police revealed that the ill-fated children had consumed substandard food that resulted in food poisoning, eventually causing their death the next day after throwing up, dehydration, and kidney failure.
The reports were prepared by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) and a local laboratory. Nearly 60 food samples had been sent to the laboratories for chemical analysis.
The reports also noted that the levels of toxins in the three-year-old rotten meat, found during the forensic analysis, was very high, with mould in it as well as bacteria, such as salmonella E. coli (Escherichia coli), and coliform.
Over a month later, on December 19, two employees of the restaurant were arrested and a case registered under “reason to murder” and “destroying evidence”. The owners, on the other hand, were out on bail.
