Community deaths whip up fear among Pakistanis in NYC

Ambassador to the US says difficult to give total number of casualties at present

KARACHI: Around 80 Pakistanis have died of coronavirus infection in New York City of the United States which reported more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours with its national tally of infections rising to 500,399.

The people living in various states in the US and their families in Pakistan are in a grip of fear following the clips being circulated on social media about mass burials taking place in New York.

Sources in Pakistan consulate in New York confirmed the figures of more than 80 deaths, but said the final figure would be announced by local administration once the situation is over.

"We have received these figures of deaths from our community activists. The officials here are reluctant to share information," a senior official working in the consulate told The Express Tribune over the phone.



According to 2013 census, around 194,000 Pakistanis live in New York State and this number has increased in the last seven years. Media reports said more than 170,512 people have tested positive in New York State and 8,627 have succumbed to the virus.

The New York City is composed of five boroughs and the majority of Pakistanis live in Queens and Brooklyn, which are worst hit by the pandemic. As of Saturday, a total number of positive cases in the city hiked to 94,000 with 5,000 deaths."New York City is giving a look of a ghost town. We can’t go out, if so then we have to take all precautionary measures to save ourselves from the virus. The people without mask look like a suicide bomber and everyone is afraid of them," said Mohammad Ramzan who lives in the city for a few years.

Another Pakistani who wished not to be named said that in present circumstances their first choice is to return to Pakistan even though the economic conditions of the country are dire."At least we can save our lives and those of our families. Don’t know what will happen here," he said adding that airlines have been suspended and they have no other option, but to wait.

Adnan Ahmed of Karachi whose son lives with his family in Brooklyn borough has glued his eyes to the TV screen to get minute by minute update from the US. "I don’t know what happens here in Pakistan, my only concern is how to save and bring back my son," he said adding that officials in Pakistan Embassy in Washington and consulate in New York are not giving him correct information about the situation.

Speaking to media, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan said it is difficult for them to give the total number of death toll of Pakistanis living in various states of the country."COVID-19 cases and deaths are recorded by the NYC government. When they will release data after the end of the crisis, we all will come to know about the exact figures," he said, adding that the embassy and four other consulates have announced toll free numbers on which Pakistanis can contact and seek help.

"Normally, in emergency like situation people contact whenever they transport the bodies to Pakistan. No one has so far contacted us,” he said.Michigan, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida and Texas are also hit by the pandemic. The Chicago city of Illinois is also affected. Most Pakistanis there live at Devon Avenue.

Speaking over the phone, a Pakistani citizen said they have got two months ration and opted to stay at home. "African Americans are dying of COVID-19 at disproportionately high rates in Chicago, New York and other states because the majority are workers, poor and live in places that could increase their risk of exposure," said Riazuddin, a Pakistani doctor who lives in Chicago.



An official working at the Pakistan Consulate in Chicago said that many cases of Pakistani American have been reported in New York and other states, but people are hiding facts. Some associations of Pakistanis expats are compiling data of positive cases and deaths, which, they said, will be shared soon.

Embassy’s statement

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC on Saturday issued a statement, which said figures circulating in the media about the number of deaths of Pakistanis in the US are only ‘guesstimates’ and have not been authenticated by official sources, "There are no formally confirmed figures available from any official source in the US. These are guesstimates being informally quoted by community sources and some funeral homes. Such figures cannot, therefore, be authenticated," the embassy said.

It added that it has received no reports, "even informal ones", of the deaths of Pakistani Americans from the consulates in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston.