QUETTA: The body of a 23-year-old Quetta resident, Aryan Shah, who died in Chennai, India, last week while undergoing cancer treatment, arrived in Karachi on Wednesday after a delay caused by an airline mishap.

Aryan Shah, who had been receiving treatment for several months in a hospital in Chennai, succumbed to the illness last week. He had travelled to India with his parents for medical care.

Following his death, Shah’s mother appealed to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti for financial assistance to repatriate the body as the family could not afford the costs. Chief Minister Bugti arra­nged financial support and contacted the Pakistani ambassador in India through the Foreign Office to facilitate the transfer.

The parents travelled to Karachi via an international airline with the coffin. However, upon arrival, they discovered that the body had been mistakenly left in Colombo.

“I have received the body of my son from Colombo,” Shah’s mother said. “The Indian government or hospital did not extend any help in shifting the body of my son.”

Pakistani authorities contacted the airline, which subsequently flew the body from Colombo to Karachi, where it arrived on Wednesday.

Officials in Quetta said the family has arranged to transport the body to Quetta by ambulance. They departed Karachi late on Wednesday evening and are expec­ted to reach Quetta early Thursday morning.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2025