Islamabad: Federal government has formed a committee to deal with the issue of Pakistani nationals stranded in various countries due to travel restrictions amid COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee will be headed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quershi, other members include Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Division (SAPM) Moeed Yusuf and representatives of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Institute of Health (NIH).
As of now, 1,600 Pakistanis have been rescued and flown back to the country via special flights conducted by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Earlier, on April 8, PIA rescued 136 Pakistanis, stranded in Iraq. As precautionary measures, the flight crew and passengers including disabled persons, women and children were put under quarantine in a local hotel.
According to sources, a special flight is due on April 11, to bring back 175 Pakistani citizens from Kualalampur Malaysia, followed by another on April 13 to rescue 200 Pakistanis stranded in Thailand.
