A lesson for embassies

The coronavirus pandemic is scary for all of us. None of us can claim to have ever experienced something like this before. Beyond the fear of infection itself, we are fearful of the future. We are told it’s only a matter of time till we turn the tide against it, but no one knows what the future will hold. We only know that the post-corona world will be very different from the one we have all grown used to. In that sense, mixed with fear there is mourning. A painful coming to terms with the unknown that rests in wait for us. Many among us feel this uncertainty more than others, unfortunately. Take the millions losing their jobs around the world with no clear idea of whether they will have work once Covid-19 is done.

Still, for some at least, there is the comfort of home, even if they don’t quite realise. Crises are hard for everyone, but harder for those unfortunate enough to find themselves miles from home. Such is the case of thousands of Pakistanis currently stranded in various countries due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. The government has vowed to evacuate all of them, and to be fair many already have been airlifted back. However, many more still remain offshore, short of money and in many cases, not even able to leave the airports.

Situations like these, ideally, require our missions to work tirelessly and proactively. We may give them some leeway given how no country barring a few has been prepared for a crisis of this magnitude, but there are lessons that we must take away from this. Our missions need to be much more in sync with the governments of the countries they operate in, providing up-to-date information to Pakistani nationals staying there. In times like these, embassies and consulates must remain open 24x7 so that they can facilitate Pakistani travellers at any time. They would also have done well to work out some guidelines so that stranded Pakistanis would have had one less reason to panic.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2020.

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