ISLAMABAD: A group of volunteers arrived at a local hotel in Islamabad on Thursday to disinfect the premises before 250 stranded Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia were brought to the facility by the authorities on Friday which had turned the building into a quarantine center early last month.
The young members of the team belonged to Al-Mustafa Scouts who were forced to temporarily discontinue their education due to the COVID-19 situation.
“Al-Mustafa Scouts is an open group of individuals that seeks to serve Pakistan,” said the team leader, Shabih-ul-Hassan, speaking to Arab News while working inside one of 16 quarantine centers in the federal capital. “We are not going to let this virus hold us hostage and confine us to our homes.”
The scouts claimed they were self-funded and supported by their families.
Equipped with face shields, masks, gloves, and chlorine-based disinfectant spray containers, the group is asked to cleanse quarantine centers by the Islamabad administration before the repatriated Pakistani nationals arrive at the facility and after they leave the accommodation.
Pakistan recently introduced special flights to bring back its citizens from other countries. Many of these people were stranded abroad due to the suspension of international flights after much of the world went into lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The incoming Pakistani nationals also include those expatriate workers who lost their jobs as businesses around the world suffered huge losses due to the global economic downturn triggered by the pandemic.
According to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, some 60,000 overseas Pakistanis intend to return to their country and the government was hoping to bring them back before the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Fitr.
Arab News was given a rare opportunity to visit a quarantine facility and captured in this video what Pakistani nationals should expect upon their return to the country
Unsung heroes disinfect quarantine centers for returning Pakistanis
https://arab.news/rs6dm
Unsung heroes disinfect quarantine centers for returning Pakistanis
- Government intends to bring back 60,000 Pakistanis stranded abroad before Eid Al-Fitr, says FM Qureshi
- Members of Al-Mustafa Scouts say they want to serve their country and will not let a virus hold them hostage
Islamic military coalition, Pakistan to deepen cooperation to combat ‘terrorism’ — Pakistani military
- Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is a 43-member alliance that includes Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE and other nations
- The Pakistani military statement comes after a meeting between IMCTC secretary-general and the chief of Pakistani defense forces in Rawalpindi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation, including intelligence sharing and capacity building, to jointly combat “terrorism” and “extremism,” the Pakistani military said on Monday.
The IMCTC is a 43-member military alliance that was formed on Saudi Arabia’s initiative in Dec. 2015 to consolidate Muslim countries’ efforts in countering “terrorism.”
A 17-member IMCTC delegation is visiting Pakistan from Feb. 2-6 to conduct a training at National University of Sciences and Technology on “Re-integration and Rehabilitation of Extremist Elements,” according to the Pakistani military.
On Monday, IMCTC Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi held a meeting with Chief of Pakistani Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir to discuss cooperation among IMCTC member states.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest were discussed, with particular emphasis on regional security dynamics and enhanced cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing, said in a statement.
“Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to combating terrorism and extremism through collaborative strategies, intelligence sharing, and capacity building among member states.”
The IMCTC features Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine, UAE, Bangladesh and other nations. In 2017, Pakistan’s former army chief Gen. (retd) Raheel Sharif was appointed as the IMCTC commander-in-chief.
During discussions with Major General Al-Moghedi, Field Marshal Munir appreciated the role of IMCTC in fostering stability and promoting coordinated counterterrorism initiatives across the Islamic world, according to the ISPR.
The IMCTC secretary-general acknowledged Pakistan’s significant contributions and sacrifices in the fight against militancy and lauded the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces.
“The meeting underscored the resolve of both sides to further strengthen institutional collaboration for peace, stability, and security in the region,” the ISPR added.
Pakistan enjoys cordial ties with most Muslim countries around the world, particularly Gulf Cooperation Council countries. In Sept. 2025, Pakistan signed a landmark defense pact with Saudi Arabia according to which an act of aggression against one country will be treated as an act of aggression against both.
