PIA brings home hundreds of Pakistani detainees from Malaysian jails before new year
- By Web Desk -
- Dec 31, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday brought back hundreds of Pakistani nationals languishing in different jails of Malaysia to Pakistan as part of an initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis.
A special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) B773-PK9894 carrying Pakistani immigrants arrived in Islamabad at 6:40 pm. They were warmly welcomed by Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Zulfi Bukhari and Federal Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan at the Islamabad airport.
According to a press release by the foreign office, the Malaysian government introduced a Back4good (B4G) Amnesty Scheme to facilitate voluntary repatriation to countries of origin starting from 1 August 2019 and ending on 31 December 2019.
As a result of extensive efforts by the High Commission of Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur, over 8000 Pakistanis have returned home safely under this Amnesty Scheme, without facing detention or fines, reads a press release.
Read more: PM orders special aircraft to bring back 320 Pakistanis from Malaysia
The Pakistan High Commission issued 1833 Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) over the past five months to the returnees for their expeditious repatriation to Pakistan
The welfare of overseas Pakistanis is a priority of the Government of Pakistan. The arrangement of special flight to bring our nationals back from Malaysia in safety is another landmark step, consistent with the Prime Minister’s directions about the welfare of Pakistani nationals, said a press release.
It may be recalled that the Pakistani government had made special arrangements in May 2019 to bring back 300 Pakistani detainees through a chartered PIA flight.