ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday suspended flights to and from China with immediate effect, a civil aviation official said, as the number of known cases of the deadly coronavirus has already exceeded 9,600, killing at least 213 people.
“We are suspending all direct flights to and from China until Feb. 2,” Abdul Sattar Khokhar, senior joint secretary at the Aviation Division of Pakistan, told Arab News over the phone.
At least 22 non-stop flights are operated weekly between China and Pakistan – two of them by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and 10 each by Air China and China Southern Airlines.
“We will review our decision after Feb. 2,” the secretary added.
The decision comes just hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. The virus has spread to at least 18 other countries. No deaths have been reported outside China.
While the US, Australia and the United Kingdom have flown their citizens out of Wuhan – a city of 11 million in Hubei province and the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak – and more countries are preparing to evacuate their nationals from affected areas, Pakistani authorities have decided to follow WHO recommendations and are not going to take similar steps for now.
About 28,000 Pakistani students are studying at Chinese universities, with more than 500 of them in Wuhan alone, according to foreign office data.
“We believe that right now ... it is in the larger interest of the region, world, country (Pakistan) that we don’t evacuate them now,” Dr. Zafar Mirza who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health told media on Thursday.
“This is what the WHO is saying, this is China’s policy and this is our policy as well,” he said while ignoring evacuation requests from the students and their parents.
Pakistan is taking precautionary measures to prevent spread of the virus. Passengers are screened at the country’s four major airports and all health facilities have been put on high alert.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement on Friday that around 12,000 passengers have been screened so far, and confirmed that no coronavirus case has been reported in Pakistan.
The authority has requested that exports of disposable face masks and gloves be halted to ensure that first aid supplies are available at all health care units to prevent the virus outbreak in the South Asian nation of 220 million.
“It is requested that export of N95 face mask and hand gloves outside Pakistan from land, air and sea routes be banned forthwith and till further advice,” the statement said.
Pakistan suspends flights to and from China amid coronavirus outbreak
https://arab.news/v4tq2
Pakistan suspends flights to and from China amid coronavirus outbreak
- No coronavirus cases reported in Pakistan
- Pakistani authorities have decided not to evacuate citizens stranded in China
At ulema conference, Pakistan PM urges clerics’ help to curb militancy, sectarianism
- Shehbaz Sharif urges religious scholars to play role in promoting unity among all schools of thought
- His appeal comes amid a surge in separatist and extremist violence targeting civilians and soldiers
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for the eradication of militancy and sectarianism, saying the country could not progress without promoting unity and cohesion.
His remarks came while addressing religious scholars at the National Ulema Convention in the federal capital, urging them to play a proactive role in promoting brotherhood and harmony among all schools of thought.
The prime minister's plea comes at a time when the country has witnessed a surge in separatist and extremist violence, with militant groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) carrying out attacks on police and security forces in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces.
"I believe that the most important thing agreed upon in this gathering today should be this that unless we establish an atmosphere of unity and cohesion among the nation in general, this country cannot progress," Sharif said in his address.
"If this country is to progress, the elimination of terrorism is absolutely essential," he added. "To protect this country, the political and military leadership together has worked tirelessly."
He also called for the elimination of sectarianism from the country.
The prime minister lambasted Afghanistan for sending militants to Pakistan who target civilians and security forces, highlighting that Pakistani soldiers were being killed everyday in KP and Balochistan.
The administration in Kabul denies sheltering or facilitating armed factions, describing Pakistan's security challenges as its internal problem.
