Govt to bring back stranded Pakistanis, assures Qureshi

Says 36,000 to 40,000 Pakistan expats await return to homeland

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday the government was fully cognisant of the problems facing overseas Pakistanis, including those stranded in different countries and it would repatriate the stranded Pakistani nationals.

He said the lockdown and closure of businesses in the Gulf countries in the wake of coronavirus had “rendered many of our overseas Pakistanis” without a livelihood, and assured that the citizens, who always contributed significantly to the national economy, would not be left alone in this difficult time.



“The world is going through unprecedented and difficult times,” Qureshi said in a video message. “We would be able to repatriate stranded Pakistanis as our testing and quarantine facilities increase. Repatriating stranded Pakistani nationals is our obligation,” he said.

“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,” he said, adding that the federal government was fully cognisant of their problems.

“Our missions and consulates abroad are extending every possible assistance to the stranded Pakistanis,” the foreign minister said. “All resources are being used to provide them with accommodation, food and meet their other needs.”



The minister said that special protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) were made through which 9 flights were arranged to bring back the stranded Pakistanis. “Sixteen hundred stranded Pakistanis have been brought back while 36,000 to 40,000 are still awaiting their return,” he added.

Talks with South Korea FM

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Qureshi held a telephone conversation this morning with the South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and held a discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Qureshi commended the South Korean government for its effective response against COVID-19 that had been widely acknowledged by the international community. He thanked the Seoul for the support extended to the Pakistani community in South Korea.

The Foreign Minister briefed his South Korean counterpart on the measures being taken by Pakistan to contain the pathogen. Both sides agreed that the pandemic necessitated closer international cooperation, the Foreign Office statement added.

Highlighting Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call for debt relief and restructuring for developing countries, Foreign Minister Qureshi stated that timely support would enable these countries to free up resources to combat the disease and shore up economies.

The foreign minister also highlighted concerns relating to ongoing restrictions in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K), which were hampering the dissemination of information and preventing unfettered supply of medicines and other essentials needed to combat the pathogen.