COVID-19: 5,000 expectant Pakistani mothers request urgent repatriation from Dubai

DUBAI: Officials at the Consulate General in Dubai on Tuesday have confirmed that 5000 expectant Pakistani mothers have made a special request for urgent repatriation from Dubai in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

According to the officials, hundreds of people gather around the consulate in Dubai every day and are seen pleading for their evacuation. However, diplomatic officials inform the troubled expats of their constraints and compulsions and urge them to be patient regarding the matter.

An estimated 2,000 people who are ill have also requested for immediate repatriation from the emirates. As per the consulate, an estimated 63,000 Pakistanis in Dubai want to be repatriated to Pakistan following the outbreak of the virus. 

Hoping that the number of special flights will increase from next month and that regular flights are likely to resume after Eid, Pakistani diplomats maintained that so far, many deserving people have already been provided free repatriation tickets.

According to the Pakistani consulate, currently, 23,000 Pakistanis have lost their jobs and want to return to their home country, while there are 17,000 Pakistani tourists, many of them who came to Dubai in search of work, but are stranded in the country due to the pandemic.

Read also: UAE praises Pakistan for repatriating stranded citizens amid COVID-19 crisis

Last month, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had said that it would arrange 11 flights to bring back Pakistani citizens stranded in Dubai. The flights to bring back Pakistanis from Dubai were operated on April 19 and 20.

Three flights brought Pakistanis back to Islamabad, two each to Karachi and Lahore. Two aircraft repatriated Pakistanis from Dubai to Faisalabad and Multan.

Following a video link conference between the UAE minister on human resource and Bokhari, the UAE government had announced that it will extend visas of Pakistanis stranded in the country.

The UAE had also announced that it had decided to assist stranded Pakistani nationals in every way possible and agreed to provide legal protection to those willing to stay in the country.

Both ministers discussed that Pakistani nationals who were recently dismissed from their jobs would be given salaries in full and that virtual jobs will be provided to Pakistani employees on a priority basis.