At least 90,000 Pakistani nationals are stuck in several countries, but mostly the Middle East, owing to suspension of flights in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, said a media outlet quoting official documents.
As countries across the world struggle to bring stranded citizens home, Pakistan has also brought hundreds of its citizens home, but a large number still await repatriation.
“The vast majority of the stranded Pakistanis – 71,570 to be exact – are in the United Arab Emirates at present, the documents revealed. A little less than 12,000 of them are stuck in Saudi Arabia. The rest are dispersed over Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Malaysia,” the report claimed.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Security Moeed Yusuf said that the government’s focus for the next week would remain on repatriating Pakistani nationals from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia as a lot of labourers were stranded there after losing their jobs. “But we will also try bringing citizens back from Sudan, Kenya and Britain,” he added.
He added that the government has granted permission to some airlines to operate commercial flights from Pakistan especially to countries where PIA does not have access, such as the United States, Australia and Africa.
He urged Pakistanis stranded abroad to register with the embassies in their country of residence, saying the embassies were deciding who to prioritise for repatriation.
