DUBAI: Pakistan has completed its ‘biggest ever’ repatriation operation by flying thousands of stranded Pakistanis back home from Dubai and the Northern Emirates over the last four months, Pakistan’s Consul General to Dubai, Ahmed Amjad Ali, said on Saturday.
In March, the consulate had asked all Pakistani nationals who wanted to leave the UAE to formally register with the embassy. Subsequently, according to data available with the consulate, 80,000 Pakistanis had signed up, most of whom had either been laid off or furloughed following the outbreak of coronavirus.
“This was the biggest ever repatriation operation undertaken by Pakistan anywhere overseas and Pakistan was the first country to start sending its nationals home,” Ali said in a presser at the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai.
“All those who had registered with us have flown out,” he said.
Through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and three FlyDubai special flights, 30,229 Pakistanis stranded in Dubai had been sent back to Pakistan, he added, and another 20,000 Pakistanis had been flown out of Abu Dhabi.
“We have no data for those who traveled by other UAE airlines but I estimate the number to be at 10,000,” he said.
“At this point, the role of the consulate has ended but we will continue helping those in need.”
The consulate also provided accommodation and food to 460 homeless Pakistani nationals, given free tickets home to 561 poor citizens, and transported 208 dead bodies in the same time period, the consul general added.
Ali said the consulate would restart normal consular services from July 1.
The number of Pakistanis wishing to return home has dropped since Dubai began easing lockdown measures and opening up over the past month.
Last month, it was reported hundreds of passengers coming home to Pakistan from around the world were testing positive for coronavirus after landing-- including those from the UAE according to the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on National Security, Moeed Yusuf.
Speaking to local media, Yusuf said huge numbers of returning passengers from the UAE were infected because returnees were laborers who often live in cramped conditions in the Gulf country.
Repatriation of Pakistanis from UAE ends after 'biggest ever' send-home operation
https://arab.news/n8qya
Repatriation of Pakistanis from UAE ends after 'biggest ever' send-home operation
- Consul general says 30,000 Pakistanis in Dubai and 20,000 in Abu Dhabi were flown home following coronavirus outbreak
- Says role of the consulate has ended; but will continue helping those in need
Pakistan defeat Japan to qualify for Hockey World Cup after eight years
- The national side was trailing 3-1 in the third quarter and smashed three goals in last nine minutes of the final quarter
- PM Shehbaz Sharif tells Pakistan players ‘you can win the World Cup by playing with same hard work, determination’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan defeated Japan 4-3 in the semifinal of the FIH Hockey World Cup qualifier in Egypt on Friday, qualifying for this year’s World Cup.
Pakistan’s victory at the Suez Canal Authority Hockey Stadium has earned them a place in the World Cup after eight years. Belgium and the Netherlands will co-host the tournament in Aug.
The Pakistan hockey team has not qualified for the last three Olympics and were ranked 12th when they last played a World Cup in 2018, despite hockey being the national game of Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday congratulated the Pakistani side for securing a place in the upcoming World Cup, promising his government support to the players.
“You can win the World Cup by playing with the same hard work and determination,” he said in a statement. “The government will provide you with all the facilities. Your full attention should be focused on outstanding performance in the game.”
The national side, led by Ammad Butt, was trailing 3-1 in the third quarter of Friday’s match against Japan, when it smashed three goals in the last nine minutes of the final quarter to clinch victory.
Separately, President Asif Ali Zardari called the win a “message of encouragement for hockey revival in Pakistan.”
“Sports play an important role in promoting national unity, discipline and a healthy society,” he said, stressing the need to promote hockey and football across the country.
Pakistan’s hockey journey is marked by past glory and ongoing efforts to revive the sport. Once a dominant force with three Olympic golds in 1960, 1968 and 1984 along with four World Cups in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994, the country was known for its legendary players like Shahbaz Ahmed and Samiullah Khan.
However, poor management, lack of infrastructure and the rise of cricket from the late 1990s led to a decline. The failure to adapt to modern demands, including fitness and artificial turfs also further deepened the crisis.
