DUBAI: Hundreds of Pakistani prisoners flew back home on Tuesday in two special flights amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, according to Pakistan’s Consul General to Dubai, Ahmed Amjad Ali.
A FlyDubai flight carrying 185 passengers left for Faisalabad from Dubai on Tuesday evening at 5 pm while another flight with another 188 prisoners left for Peshawar at 9pm local time.
Both the flights were carrying pardoned prisoners, Ali told Arab News.
“Pakistan government will keep these passengers in quarantine for seven days upon arrival,” he added.
Another two flights are expected to take stranded passengers back home on April 18 and 19, Ali said.
In an apparent request made to the Pakistan government by the UAE to open airspace for special flights, a circular issued by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on April 13 read, “The UAE government through FlyDubai has requested permission to operate flights between Dubai to Faisalabad on 14th April to transport 180 stranded Pakistani nationals to Faisalabad."
These special flights, on return, will carry 11 personnel of the UAE embassy in Islamabad back to Dubai, the statement added.
The CAA said that Islamabad gave the permission upon condition that "no disembarkation of flight crew shall be permitted from the aircraft upon arrival at Faisalabad International Airport.”
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE, Ghulam Dastgir told Arab News on Monday that Pakistan government was working out a plan to quarantine the returning passengers before the evacuation.
His comments followed the UAE’s warning to take action if countries did not speed up action to evacuate its citizens who wanted to travel back home.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by FlyDubai read: “We are fully supporting governments and authorities across the flydubai network with their repatriation efforts helping them to make arrangements for their citizens to return home.”
Hundreds of Pakistani prisoners return from Dubai amid pandemic
https://arab.news/8gtf8
Hundreds of Pakistani prisoners return from Dubai amid pandemic
- Will be quarantined for a week upon arrival, official says
- Another two flights will bring stranded expats back from Dubai on April 18 and 19
Pakistan, UK discuss regional security, cross-border attacks as senior official visits Islamabad
- British envoy for Afghanistan Richard Lindsay’s visit comes at a time of a surge in militancy in Pakistan’s border regions
- Pakistani diplomat says both sides reviewed broader security challenges, emphasized coordination to address ‘shared concerns’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and British officials have discussed regional security challenges and cross-border attacks during talks in Islamabad, a Pakistani diplomat said on Tuesday, during a visit of the United Kingdom’s Afghanistan envoy, Richard Lindsay, to the Pakistani capital.
Pakistan and the UK regularly cooperate on counterterrorism and security, with a focus on intelligence-sharing to combat militant activity. Lindsay’s visit comes at a time of a rise in militancy in Pakistan’s western provinces, which border Afghanistan.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, said the discussions in Islamabad focused on the regional security situation, particularly the urgent challenge posed by cross-border attacks.
“We also exchanged views on the latest regional security developments and broader security challenges,” he said on X. “We emphasized the importance of continued cooperation and coordination to address shared concerns and promote regional stability.”
Islamabad frequently accuses Afghanistan of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny this.
In recent years, Pakistan and the UK have engaged with each other on counterterrorism and cross-border crimes as part of bilateral cooperation.
Both sides held the second round of the Pakistan-UK Counter Terrorism Dialogue in London in February last year, reviewing global and regional threats and exchanging best practices. Over the years, armed forces of both countries have also maintained close cooperation, particularly in counterterrorism efforts and professional military training.
