Evacuating Pakistani citizens from China against country's interest: Zafar Mirza

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza said the government has decided not to repatriate Pakistani citizens stranded in China amid the fear of deadly disease outbreak in the country, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the health advisor said that according to World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese government’s policy, evacuating citizens from the affected areas is not recommended as it will cause the virus to spread.

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No case of coronavirus has yet been reported in Pakistan. The government is fully prepared in combating the outbreak and is taking all possible measures to protect the citizens of Pakistan,” said Mirza.

He said Pakistan and China are continuously sharing information on the cases of coronavirus and mutual collaboration will help in controlling the outbreak.

Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed that four Pakistani students affected from coronavirus in China are being treated properly and recovering from the virus.

On the other hand, Aisha Farooqui, while addressing a weekly press briefing today, said the authorities have received reports of the delay of flight at Urumqi airport to carry the Pakistani nationals. She said that Pakistan has contacted Chinese officials in this regards.

“The authorities are ensuring the registration of all students in China. All students are in contact with the embassy after the coronavirus outbreak,” she added.

Read: Coronavirus death toll jumps to 170 in China

“We have asked those nationals to contact the embassy in China who were not registered to the database. The administration officers in the universities have also raised the issue of food supplies.”

“Evacuation is not made by any country for its citizens in China. The Pakistani government will take all steps for Pakistanis residing in China