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India finds US’ discrimination in Pan-Am hijack case
Chandigarh: India has charged the US with discrimination in awarding compensation to passengers of a Pan-Am flight that was hijacked by Libyan terrorists. The hijack had left 20 people dead and 150 injured after a bloodbath at Karachi International Airport on September 5, 1986.
While the US authorities compensated American nationals, this was denied to passengers of other nationalities, a majority of them Indians. There were around 200 Indian passengers on the flight, of whom 13 died while over 100 were injured.
The union civil aviation ministry, in a recent communication to the external affairs ministry, asked it to “take up the matter with the US authorities in a suitable manner”.
Chandigarh girl Neerja Bhanot, 23, who was the chief purser of Pan-Am flight 73 (Bombay-Karachi-Frankfurt-New York), was killed in the shootout following the hijack as she tried to save American children and other passengers without bothering for her own life. The government awarded her the nation’s highest gallantry award in peacetime, the Ashok Chakra, for her act of utmost bravery.
Finding “merit” in a petition filed by Neerja’s brother Aneesh Bhanot, on the basis of which the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the central government to “look into” the matter, the civil aviation ministry said: “The stand taken by the US authorities is totally unjustified and smacks of rank discrimination. How can they pick and choose among passengers travelling on the same flight? Morevover, the flight was of Pan-Am, which was an American carrier and was chosen by the terrorists as a target essentially as it belonged to America.”
The ministry’s communication further stated that “it was the bounden duty of the government of USA to make sure that each and every person on board that aircraft gets equal compensation out of the amount provided by the government of Libya”.
The ministry outrightly rejected the stance of the US authorities that passengers on the same flight from other nationalities should ask their respective governments to negotiate with the Libyan government.
The Libyan government, in 2008, had provided $1.5 billion to the US as compensation for various terrorist acts against the country, including the Pan-Am hijack.
“While the US nationals on the flight were adequately compensated, passengers from other nationalities, mostly from India and Pakistan, were denied this taking refuge under US laws,” Aneesh Bhanot, who is part of the Indian Victims of Pan-Am-73 campaign group, told IANS here.
Bhanot pointed out that in the Lockerbie bombing involving Pan-Am flight PA-103, all passengers from the US, as also European countries, were compensated from the funds given by Libya.
“The stand taken by theUS is completely unjustified. The crew of Pan-Am 73 was all-Indian and they saved several American passengers by hiding their passports. The terrorists wanted these passports to kill the Americans. In return, the Indians and other were discriminated against,” Bhanot pointed out.
The affected families of Pan-Am 73 have, this week, represented to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the discrimination against non-US passengers.
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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