Plan to repatriate all stranded Pakistanis in a month

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Efforts are being made to repatriate all Pakistanis within a month, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security, Moeed Yusuf announced.

Around 25 percent airspace has been reopened for repatriation of standard Pakistanis from different counters forced to live there following COVID-19 pandemic. 

He was briefing the media after a meeting of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) along with Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis, Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, in Islamabad on June 17. 

He shared that eight airports were operational across the country for the repatriation purpose, adding that up to 45,000 Pakistanis will be brought back to the country and they will be tested at airports. All returning Pakistanis will be bound for 14-day self-quarantine at their homes. 

Zulfiqar Bukhari added that 80,000 Pakistanis and 600 dead bodies have so far been brought back to the country. He advised all returning Pakistanis to follow the SOPs and precautionary measures issued by the government. He stressed that they will be closely monitored. 

He urged the returning Pakistanis to register themselves at the ministry's website so that they would be given benefits from Ehsaas and Kamyab Jawan Programmes. 

“The government is well aware of the problems being faced by the overseas Pakistanis and is working effectively to address the same,” he said while appreciating the overseas Pakistanis for having remitted 20.6 billion dollars after the start of COVID-19.