ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday refused to review its decision requiring all international passengers arriving in the country to present a health certificate confirming a negative coronavirus test, despite impassioned appeals by citizens stranded abroad.
In a bid to curb “imported” cases of COVID-19 disease, Islamabad on Tuesday made it mandatory for all passengers flying to Pakistan to produce a copy of coronavirus test results obtained 24 hours before boarding. The measure will come in effect March 21 and all airlines are required to comply with it.
Pakistan has been struggling to fight the pandemic by introducing a raft of precautionary measures, including the establishment of large quarantine centers, screening of all domestic and international passengers and testing persons who have virus symptoms. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached 377 as of Thursday, with two fatalities reported.
“We are well aware of the concerns of Pakistanis stuck in other countries, but we won’t review our decision (on the mandatory test),” Abdul Sattar Khokhar, senior joint secretary at the Aviation Division, told Arab News on Thursday.
“The purpose of making this test compulsory is to bar imported cases of coronavirus from Pakistan,” he said.
A majority of those who tested positive in the country have a travel history to neighboring Iran and other countries where the outbreak has been severe.
Pakistanis stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom have been calling on the government to relax the test requirements so that they could board their flights home.
“The NHS is testing only those who have symptoms for coronavirus,” Mujahid Akbar, a Pakistani stranded in London, told Arab News over the phone, referring to the National Health Service (NHS), the UK’s publicly funded health care system.
“I am running out of money and won’t be able to stay here from next week,” he said.
Pakistanis in the UAE are also unclear where they should obtain the required health certificate from.
“I am due to travel by the end of the month and this rule has left me confused,” Iram Khan, a Pakistani resident in Dubai, told Arab News on Wednesday. “None of us in the family have any symptoms, so how will we be tested? How will we get the certificate?”
The government, however, maintains the measure is necessary to contain the spread of the virus.
“A passenger may not show symptoms at the time of boarding a flight, but in fact may be a virus carrier,” Khokhar said. “We are not ready to take any chances.”
Pakistan keeps COVID-19 test mandatory for international passengers
https://arab.news/mv5t5
Pakistan keeps COVID-19 test mandatory for international passengers
- Government says won’t ‘take any chances’ amid the pandemic
- COVID-19 test requirement for international travelers comes in effect March 21
Pakistan high court pauses tree-cutting in Islamabad until Feb. 2
- Islamabad High Court asks CDA to ‘explain and justify’ tree-cutting at next hearing
- CDA officials say 29,000 trees were cut due to allergies, deny felling in green belts
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered an immediate halt to tree-cutting in the federal capital until Feb. 2, seeking justification from civic authorities over the legality of a large-scale felling drive that has seen thousands of trees removed in recent months.
The interim order, issued by a single-judge bench led by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, came during proceedings on a petition challenging the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) tree-cutting operations in Islamabad’s Shakarparian area and H-8 sector.
At the outset of the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that trees were being felled in violation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1979 and the city’s master plan.
“Respondents shall not cut trees till the next date of hearing,” Justice Soomro said in the court order released on Friday while referring to CDA officials.
“Respondents are directed to come fully prepared and to file paragraph-wise comments before the next date of hearing, along with a comprehensive report explaining the justification and legal basis for the cutting of trees,” he added.
According to the court order, the petitioner maintained that the CDA had not made any public disclosure regarding the legal basis for the operation and that the felling was causing environmental harm.
The petition sought access to the official record of tree-cutting activities and called for the penalization of CDA officials responsible for the act under relevant criminal and environmental laws.
It also urged the court to impose a moratorium on infrastructure projects in Islamabad, order large-scale replanting as compensation and constitute a judicial commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the alleged violations.
CDA officials acknowledge around 29,000 paper mulberry trees have been cut in the capital in recent months, arguing that the species triggers seasonal allergies such as sneezing, itchy eyes and nasal congestion.
They also maintain that no trees have been removed from designated green belts and that the number of replacement trees planted exceeds those felled.
Designed in the 1960s by Greek architect Constantinos Doxiadis, Islamabad was conceived as a low-density city with green belts and protected natural zones at its core.
Critics, however, say the recent felling has extended beyond paper mulberry trees and question whether authorities are adhering to the city’s master plan and the legal protections governing forested and green areas.
The court has adjourned its hearing until Feb. 2, 2026.
