ISLAMABAD: As many as 250 Pakistani nationals stranded in Australia owing to the suspension of airline operations due to coronavirus epidemic, reached Islamabad via a special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
According to the airport officials, a PIA’s special flight PK-795 brought the stranded Pakistanis from Australian International Airport to Islamabad on Sunday.
Sources said that all the passengers have been shifted to a quarantine centre after screening and testing them for the coronavirus. The sources added the passengers will be allowed to leave for their homes if their test results return negative.
The repatriation of stranded Pakistanis was coordinated by Pakistan High Commission, Canberra and consulates general in Sydney and Melbourne.
The consul general said repatriation of Pakistanis manifested the commitment of PM Imran Khan and the government of Pakistan to reach out and look after welfare of Pakistani diaspora across the world.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi had also instructed all Pakistani missions abroad to facilitate the repatriation of Pakistanis during the epidemic.
The returning Pakistani nationals thanked the government of Pakistan, the high commission and the consulates general for arranging repatriation to their homeland.
They also expressed satisfaction on the efforts being put in by the Pakistani missions in Australia for the welfare and well-being of community members in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
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