More than 1000 stranded Pakistani nationals were repatriated on Tuesday. Different flights reached Peshawar, Multan, Karachi and Islamabad airports carrying Pakistanis to their homeland.
However, soon after their return, many of them complained about mistreatment by the government. Videos are going viral in which many passengers could be seen being moved to quarantine centers from the airports for 7-14 days.
Unhygienic condition of quarantine facilities
A video is doing rounds in which people behind the camera are highlighting the unhygienic condition of a quarantine facility provided to them. No proper sanitation, cleanliness, and hygiene could be seen in the video.
The government is struggling to accommodate the people flying from abroad. Many people are complaining that they also are mistreated at some points. Due to their negligence, people were seen refusing quarantine facilities and coronavirus testings. The environment shown in one of the videos is so filthy that if a person stays there for a while, even if they are healthy, they will get coronavirus.
Gepostet von Rafiq Ahmed Chinoy am Montag, 20. April 2020
Mistreatment by the authorities
Several Pakistanis finally coming from abroad on special flights were mistreated by the authorities. According to them, officials forced them to follow their rules or they won’t be allowed to go back to their homes. They protested that big celebrities like Shamoon Abbasi and Sanam Saeed (who also traveled in the same flight) along with their 80 crew members are staying at a 5-star hotel but they were not even provided proper accommodation and food.
Some of them were threatening that they would leave for their homes without coronavirus testings if they weren’t treated well.
بیرون ملک سے پاکستان واپس آنیوالے اسلام آباد میں خوار
Gepostet von Daily Qudrat am Montag, 20. April 2020
On April 10, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr. Mooed Yusuf had announced the federal government was prioritizing stranded passengers. He said it was determining volume in light of the capacity to test and quarantine incoming passengers to ensure the public’s safety.
However, it doesn’t seem like the government was dealing with political instability and poor governance while dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. This could be mainly due to the social, political and cultural context of the country.
It is a relief for the homecoming passengers that at least they can land back in Pakistan. However, if they are kept such unhygienic conditions then sooner or later, they will become sick.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has soared to 9,216. According to the National Command and Operation Centre highest 4,195 cases have so far been detected in Punjab. However, 2,764 are in Sindh, 1,276 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 465 in Balochistan, 281 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 185 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 50 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
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