ISLAMABAD: The government is in touch with Chinese authorities to help thousands of Pakistanis studying in China return to their colleges and universities despite coronavirus travel restrictions imposed by Beijing, the Foreign Office said this week.
China suspended the entry of foreign nationals in late March to stop the spread of COVID-19. Students who returned to Pakistan when the pandemic broke out are now unable to return to China and fear they may lose years of education, and end up not getting degrees.
“We are constantly in touch with the Chinese authorities on the issue, and trying to resolve it as soon as possible,” Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, told Arab News.
He said that a dedicated Foreign Office team was pursuing the matter, saying the problem was not specific to Pakistan and Beijing had a uniform policy for all international students.
The Chinese embassy in Islamabad could not be reached for comment.
Approximately 28,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in Chinese educational institutions and about 5,000 are stuck in Pakistan.
“I will lose my medical degree if the Chinese government doesn’t allow me to rejoin my university in the next couple of weeks,” said Mishal Zubair, who is a final year undergrad student in medicine and surgery at the Wuhan University of Science and Technology.
Zubair returned to Pakistan in June on a special repatriation flight when the outbreak was at its peak in Wuhan city, where the coronavirus was first detected in China. She has since been taking online classes.
“Under Pakistani rules, if I fail to attend classes in person for two consecutive semesters, my medical degree won’t be recognized,” she said.
Pirah Channa, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in textiles from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou and has been back home since February, said she was facing communication problems during online classes because not all instructors had were fluent in English. “We are losing our precious time,” she said.
Students say they have written to the Foreign Office and the Chinese embassy in Islamabad to seek help, but have yet to receive a response.
“No government official and even the Chinese embassy in Islamabad are responding to our emails for visa extensions and updates on our courses,” Nasiruddin, an electronic engineering student at Southeast University in Nanjing, who has been in Pakistan since January, told Arab News.
He said some Chinese universities had engaged students in online classes, but that was not feasible for Pakistani students due to the time difference and poor Internet connectivity in many areas.
“I was planning to publish a paper by the end of this year on the basis of my research work in the university laboratory to complete my degree,” Nasiruddain said, “but for now that all stands upended.”
In touch with Beijing to help Pakistani students return to China — foreign office
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In touch with Beijing to help Pakistani students return to China — foreign office
- Around 5,000 Pakistani students cannot return to Chinese universities as foreign nationals are denied entry into the country due to coronavirus travel restrictions
- Students fear years of studies may go to waste if they are not allowed to resume classes in the coming weeks
Karachi-bound bus crashes in fog, killing five in eastern Pakistan
- Motorway closure forced the bus onto an alternate route, unfamiliar to the driver
- Pakistan weather office reports visibility as low as 30 meters in parts of Punjab
ISLAMABAD: At least five people were killed and around 28 injured early on Wednesday when a passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan in eastern Pakistan, after the driver diverted from a closed motorway due to dense fog, police said.
Poor visibility during Pakistan’s winter months frequently makes long-distance travel hazardous, prompting authorities to shut motorways and major roads during severe fog to prevent accidents. However, traffic mishaps involving both light and heavy vehicles are not uncommon during such conditions, sometimes triggering multi-vehicle pile-ups.
“A passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan, killing at least five people and injuring around 28 others,” Adeel Sarfraz, a senior police officer and station house officer in the area near Chakwal, told Arab News over the phone.
“The accident occurred at around 2 a.m.,” he added. “Since the motorway was closed due to dense fog, the driver diverted the bus onto the GT [Grand Trunk] Road. However, the driver was unfamiliar with the route, and poor visibility caused by the fog led to the accident.”
Winter fog is a recurring hazard across Pakistan’s plains, particularly in Punjab and upper Sindh, where conditions can deteriorate sharply during late night and early morning hours.
Data shared by the Pakistan Meteorological Department earlier in the day showed extremely low visibility across several districts, with levels dropping to 30 meters in Narowal and Sheikhupura, 40 meters in Gujranwala and 50 meters in Faisalabad, Sialkot Airport and Toba Tek Singh.
Levels of 100 meters were reported in cities including Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Sargodha, while some southern Punjab districts recorded relatively better conditions at around 200 meters.
The weather office warned that moderate to dense fog is likely to persist over much of Punjab, upper Sindh and plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, advising travelers — especially those driving on highways and motorways — to exercise caution during nighttime and early morning hours.
Road accidents are also common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure, speeding and limited enforcement of safety regulations, with fog-related incidents adding to seasonal risks during winter.
