ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Monday said that Pakistanis stranded at Qatar airport will be flown back to the country on Monday night.
According to Farooqui, the Pakistani embassy in Doha has been working on bringing back the citizens. “A Qatar Airways flight will bring them to Islamabad tonight,” she said.
Earlier this month, Qatar had announced to temporarily ban the entry of travelers from 14 countries including Pakistan amid the virus outbreak. The decision met with questions on the future of Pakistani workers in the richest MENA economy (in terms of GDP [PPP] per capita).
Subsequently, Islamabad, as part of its safety drive, had temporarily suspended the inbound international flights last week, initially for a period of two weeks. At the time, it was estimated that some 200,000 passengers would suffer because of the decision.
However, yesterday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf announced to make special arrangements to bring home the Pakistanis stranded at airports in the Middle Eastern countries including Qatar.
According to a press release issued by the Aviation Division on Monday, the flight will be carrying 72 Pakistanis on board and is expected to land at Islamabad International Airport after midnight. “All the passengers will be subjected to strict screening as advised by the ministry of health,” it added.
