Students safer in China than back at home: IHC

Court urges parents to have faith in state

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday urged parents of the students stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan to have faith in the state, which, he said, is making commendable effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“It was about time to get united against the invisible enemy of coronavirus. We can defeat this enemy through unity,” the IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said while hearing petitions filed by the families of the Pakistani students studying in Wuhan, the first epicenter of the deadly contagion.

During the hearing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cabinet Division also submitted their replies. The Foreign Affairs Director General Mudassir Tipu told the court that China has made remarkable progress in its fight against the virus and the situation there is improving.

“China says situation there will further improve in the next two weeks. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also sent to China an airplane full of medicines and food. The government has also distributed money among 95% of the students,” Tipu said.



The counsel for the parents, however, said the government had not made any attempt to bring back the students. The chief justice noted that the students are safer in China – due to advanced treatment and preventive facilities there – as compared to people in Pakistan.

“The US and the UK now accept that their decision to evacuate their nationals after emergence of the disease was not right. Today, China is the only success story in the fight against coronavirus,” Justice Minallah noted.

Addressing the students’ counsel, the CJ noted: “You must have faith in the state. The National Security Committee (NSC) is also looking into the matter.”

The NSC is a federal consultative body chaired by the prime minister. It is a principal forum that is mandated for considering national security and foreign policy matters with services chiefs, security advisers and cabinet members.
The court later adjourned hearing of the case for four weeks.