Abdul Basit
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan always say overseas Pakistanis are very close to his heart but after several weeks of coronavirus crisis, his government has not made arrangements to bring back overseas Pakistanis from Gulf countries especially from the UAE.
Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE Ghulam Dastgir admitted on Saturday that Pakistan government does not have required quarantine and testing facilities at the country’s airports to facilitate repatriated countrymen and that’s the reason Pakistan is not starting flights from the UAE and other Gulf countries.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that efforts are being made to bring back 36,000 to 40,000 expatriates from different countries. Qureshi blamed that provinces are not cooperating in this regard.
Ghulam Dastgir said when all the necessary arrangements have been put in place to test and quarantine people on arrival, then the repatriation can be started to ensure those entering the country are taken care of.
The ambassador noted that once the decision is taken, the relevant airlines will be authorised to book tickets for the stranded people.
“The government is taking required steps to contain spread of Covid-19 to ensure that all the passengers coming from abroad can be quarantined and tested on arrival. Once all these measures are put in place, then the government will convey its decision (to repatriate people),” Dastgir told media on Saturday.
Currently, more than 25,000 people have registered with Pakistan Consulate Dubai for repatriation while over 10,000 have been rendered jobless due to Covid-19.
Quoting Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said the government’s priority is to bring back all Pakistanis who are stranded abroad and the government is finalising standard operating procedures in this regard.
“The government is aware of challenges faced by the people here and other countries. This is a global crisis and government is looking at the best possible ways to assist them,” he said.
Replying to a query about the Pakistan International carrying passengers from other countries and not from the Gulf region, the ambassador pointed out that passengers repatriated from Turkey and Thailand were those who were stranded at the airport.
“The first flight to repatriate Pakistanis was from Dubai for those people who were stranded at the airport. We ask people to have patience and hope and pray that this whole global crisis is over soon.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday assured overseas Pakistanis, in a message. that the government is cognizant of their problems and would repatriate them soon.
“The world is going through unprecedented and difficult times. We would be able to repatriate stranded Pakistanis as our testing and quarantine facilities increase. Repatriating stranded Pakistani nationals is our obligation,” Qureshi said in a video message.
“The lockdown and closure of businesses in the Gulf countries in the wake of coronavirus have rendered many of our overseas Pakistanis without a livelihood. Our missions and consulates abroad are extending every possible assistance to the stranded Pakistanis,” the foreign minister said.
Ambassador Ghulam Dastgir, however, refused to give any time frame of when the repatriation process will be initiated from the UAE and Gulf region.
Moeed Yusuf, special assistant to Prime Minister on national security division and strategic policy planning, on Friday tweeted that Pakistanis from the Gulf will be repatriated this week to Pakistan.
“We are prioritizing stranded passengers and determining volume in light of our capacity to test and quarantine incoming passengers to ensure public safety. All passengers will be tested and quarantined for seven days by government and then they will have to observe seven day self-quarantine,” said Yusuf.
