ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying 320 Pakistani prisoners arrived in Islamabad from Malaysia on Wednesday night, state media said on Thursday, just two days after Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the national carrier to ferry back the inmates in time to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr at home with their loved ones.
Pakistan on Tuesday said it had designated a special aircraft to bring home its nationals languishing in various jails across Malaysia.
Radio Pakistan reported that the former inmates were received at Islamabad International Airport by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, on Wednesday night.
After welcoming the Pakistanis, Bukhari said more prisoners would be released and returning home from various countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in the coming days.
Videos circulating on social media showed the ex-inmates inside the PIA carrier, chanting slogans of “Pakistan Zindabaad,” or long live Pakistan, before the plane landed.
The prisoners at Malaysian jails would have arrived home sooner had it not been for Pakistan closing its airspace in February after a suicide attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to aerial bombing missions on each other’s soil and a fighter dogfight over Kashmir.
Foreign carriers using Indian airspace have been since forced to take costly detours because they cannot fly over Pakistan. The closure mainly affects flights from Europe to Southeast Asia.
Pakistan lies in the middle of a vital aviation corridor and the airspace restrictions impact hundreds of commercial and cargo flights each day, adding flight time for passengers and fuel costs for airlines.
“There are more than 320 Pakistani nationals in Malaysian jails who have completed their sentence and were unable to be repatriated, as direct flights got suspended in the last week of February 2019, owing to the regional situation,” the Pakistan government said in a statement this week, adding that a majority of the nationals had been imprisoned “due to expiry of visa or residence permits.”
Over 300 Pakistanis jailed in Malaysia arrive home in time for Eid
Over 300 Pakistanis jailed in Malaysia arrive home in time for Eid
- Repatriated prisoners received at Islamabad airport on Wednesday night by PM’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis
- Would have reached sooner had it not been for the closure of parts of Pakistan’s airspace since February
’Super Flu’: Pakistan confirms presence of fast-spreading H3N2 influenza strain
- Health authorities say virus is not new but shows higher transmission rate
- WHO reports global rise in seasonal influenza cases, especially in Europe
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani health authorities on Monday confirmed the presence of the H3N2 influenza strain, often referred to as a fast-spreading “super flu,” in the country, but stressed there was no cause for panic, saying the virus is not new and remains manageable with standard treatment and vaccination.
Officials said the strain is part of seasonal influenza viruses that circulate globally each year and has undergone genetic changes that make it spread more quickly, a pattern health experts say is common for influenza.
The confirmation comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports a global increase in seasonal influenza activity in recent months, with a growing proportion of influenza A(H3N2) cases detected, particularly across several European countries, including the United Kingdom.
“Yes, we have witnessed confirmed cases of H3N2 influenza (super Flu) in Pakistan since November this year. Out of total around 1,691 cases reported throughout Pakistan since last month, 12 percent are of the so called super flu,” Dr. Shafiq-Ur-Rahman, Senior Scientific Officer at Pakistan’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), told Arab News.
He said the virus had undergone a genetic drift, a gradual mutation that is typical of influenza viruses.
“The symptoms are similar to other influenza strains, but speed of transmission is high for H3N2,” Rahman said, adding that treatment remains the same as for other flu types and vaccination is critical to limiting spread.
Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses that circulate year-round worldwide. The WHO has stressed that influenza continues to evolve through gradual genetic changes, making ongoing surveillance and regular vaccine updates essential.
Influenza spreads easily through droplets when infected people cough or sneeze. While most individuals recover within a week without medical treatment, the illness can range from mild to severe and may result in hospitalization or death, particularly among high-risk groups such as young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions.
Doctors say early symptoms of the flu can resemble those of the common cold, but the progression often differs. Colds typically develop gradually, beginning with a runny or blocked nose, sneezing and sore throat, followed by mild coughing and fatigue.
Flu symptoms, however, tend to appear suddenly and more intensely, with patients often experiencing high fever, extreme tiredness, body aches, headaches and a dry cough.
Health experts say this abrupt and severe onset is usually the clearest indication that an illness is influenza rather than a common cold, which is generally milder and slower to develop.
