Body of Gujarat fisherman Kana Chauhan who died in Malir jail of Pakistan has been laying at morgue of Edhi Foundation in Karachi for the last two weeks as he was reportedly denied consular access despite completing his prison terms around two months ago. Chauhan, a resident of Paldi village of Una taluka in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat had completed his sentence in Pakistan on May 23 this year. Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) mandate that a when a national of foreign country is arrested or detained, he should be allowed access to consulate of his country. According to established norms, India and Pakistan grant consular access each other’s nationals within 90 days. But sources claimed that Chauhan was not granted consular access. He was not granted consular access and therefore, his nationality could not be established even as he died on July 5, said sources. When contacted by The Indian Express, Gujarat fisheries Minister Babu Bokhiria said he had come to know about the incident but had no official information. Somebody from Una called me two days ago that a fisherman had died in Pakistan and that his body had not been repatriated till date. I requested the caller to send me details of the victim. However, the caller has not got back to me till now. On the other hand, my office has not received any official communication from the Central government in this regard. But once I get basic information about the fisherman, I shall write to the Central government, said the Minister. However, the Indian chapter of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, an NGO working for promoting friendly relationship between Indian and Pakistan confirmed that Chauhan’s body was laying in the Edhi Foundation morgue. Chauhan died in Malir jail on July 5, 2017. His body has been kept at Edhi Foundation’s morgue in Karachi. His sentence had got over on May 23, 2017. Neither he was repatriated when he was alive nor has his been body been sent back almost two weeks after his death, Jatin Desai, general secretary of PIPFPD told The Indian Express. Incidentally, Pakistan had repatriated 77 Indian fishermen early this month after they completed their prison terms for allegedly violating territorial waters at the Arabian Sea while fishing. However, Chauhan’s name was not among them. We are told that Chauhan had complained of chest pain before he died. But we don’t the exact cause of death as yet. I have written to the Indian deputy high commissioner in Pakistan and requested to complete the procedure of establishing Chauhan’s nationality and repatriate his body at the earliest, Desai further said. Incidentally, body of Jeeva Bamaniya, a fisherman from Gir Somnath district of Gujarat was repatriated from Pakistan around three weeks after he died just a day before he was to be sent back to India. Desai said that had Chauhan been granted consular access immediately his prison term ended, the scenario would have been different. One Rafique Jatt from Kutch is also languishing in Pakistan jail despite him having completed his sentence in March 2017. More worryingly, he is not being repatriated even though his nationality has also been verified, added the PIPFD general secretary.