Moeed Yusuf wants people to 'stop stigmatising overseas Pakistanis' over coronavirus

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security Moeeed Yusuf on Sunday called for an end to stigmitisation of overseas Pakistanis over coronavirus cases, adding that an overwhelming majority of returning nationals were poor labourers seeking repatriation.

In a series of tweets, PM Imran Khan's aide clarified the confusion and misinformation regarding the incumbent government's repatriation policies being criticised by many — including a few prominent lawmakers — on social media.

"We need to stop stigmatizing overseas Pakistanis who want to exercise their right to return to Pakistan," Yusuf said in a tweet. "Overwhelming majority returning is poor labour."

The official said that the repatriated citizens were being tested for the coronavirus on arrival and asked to self quarantine for two weeks in accordance with the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting's June 2 decision.

However, he said a policy of no testing and to only self-quarantine the repatriates — based on the provinces' request for being "unable to test an expanded number of passengers coming into Pakistan" — was under consideration.

Noting that the local transmission in Pakistan was approximately 94%, with only 6% of the cases reported from travelers, Yusuf reiterated that the "regime is far more stringent for the incoming passengers than for Pakistanis inside the country".

The SAPM said people should "be grateful" to overseas Pakistanis for being patient.

"We will soon have a comprehensive new policy that will bring good news in terms of their ability to return [back to the country] immediately," he added.

Earlier in the day, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfikar Bukhari and PPP Senator Sherry Rehman got into a Twitter spat over misinformation pertaining to the government's testing policies for citizens returning from abroad.

Also read: Sindh govt raises concerns on federal govt's new repatriation policy

The debate between the two flared up when the PPP lawmaker claimed in a tweet that about 21% of Pakistan's cases were "from outside" and that such a policy would make the country "the new home, breeding ground for coronavirus".

To which, Bukhari responded by saying the figures quoted were false and only 6% of the infected cases are reported from returning overseas.

"Stop stigmatising helpless Overseas Pakistanis returning home under such harsh conditions for petty political gains," Bukhari shot back, adding that misinformation was already "leading you to disaster".

Rehman, however, said she was not "stigmatising" overseas Pakistan, rather concerned over how the incumbent government had left them "stranded for way too long" without resources.

"This has become the PTI norm, not able to address facts on ground, so deflect and attack," the senior PPP leader said, adding that the government's departments did not know the facts on the ground "or worse, don't want to know".

"Why did Sindh have to test the Jeddah flight and find 123 positive cases? There’s no federal check anywhere, so verify, go to Islamabad airport and reinstate the ghost testing," she slammed Bukhari.

"I think it’s time to tell it like it is. PTI equates Testing with Stigma. That sums it up," she added.

When Bukhari said the PPP was "lying to divert attention from their blunders" and shared pictures of passengers purportedly giving samples for coronavirus testing at an airport, the senator expressed her doubts that the pictures were not recent as there were no timestamps on them.

"We face a serious surge, open herd culling in Pakistan so you are saying incoming cases no longer matter," she added.