Travel restrictions: 'UK likely to remove Pakistan from red list on Sept 16'

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar said on Thursday that Pakistan is likely to be off the red list of the United Kingdom (UK) on September 16, ARY News reported.

Usman Dar, while talking to the ARY News programme Power Play, said that Pakistan has shared the statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic with the United Kingdom (UK). He expressed hopes that Pakistan will be off the UK red list on September 16.

It is important to mention here that Pakistan had been retained on UK’s red list in the updated travel advisory for countries barred from flying into the kingdom.

Travellers from these destinations will not have to quarantine regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated, but will still need to take pre-departure and day 2 tests and complete a passenger locator form.

British lawmakers had also criticised their government for keeping Pakistan on its ‘red list’ whilst promoting India to the ‘amber list’ for international travel despite a clear difference in the COVID-19 situation in both countries.

Dar said that the federal government was demanding the UK government to send back the absconding Nawaz Sharif. To a question, Usman Dar said that Pakistan has given a clear answer of ‘no more’ and nobody will now demand ‘do more’.

He said that the government will prioritise national interests. Dar added that Pakistan’s role regarding Afghanistan was in front of everyone as Islamabad made serious efforts to establish peace in the neighbouring country.