KARACHI: Pakistan has lifted a rule barring the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for people below 40 years old, in a bid to help inoculate people who need to travel for education or jobs abroad, particularly Saudi Arabia, the country’s health chief said.
Pakistan, which relies heavily on remittances from its expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia, has primarily used Chinese vaccines — Sinopharm, CanSinoBio and Sinovac — in its inoculation drive and, till now, only used AstraZeneca for those above 40.
Saudi authorities have not approved the Chinese shots, so people with only those vaccinations still need to quarantine, which is unaffordable for many, Faisal Sultan, health adviser to the prime minister, said.
“From today, we have lifted the restriction for use of AstraZeneca for below 40 years,” Sultan told private news channel Geo television on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia has approved four COVID-19 vaccines for arrivals wanting to avoid quarantine, namely AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.
Pakistan has received 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca under the COVAX facility.
Sultan said the government was using diplomatic channels to see if Saudi Arabia would approve Chinese vaccines in future.
As of June 11, 1.3 percent of Pakistan’s 220 million people had been fully vaccinated and 3.8 percent had received at least one dose, mostly Sinopharm or Sinovac, official figures show.
Saudi Arabia is the largest source of foreign remittances to Pakistan, which depends on these funds to support its current account given the country’s yawning trade deficit.
In the current financial year, Pakistan received $7 billion in remittances from Saudi Arabia, making up more than a quarter of overall remittances.
Pakistan allows AstraZeneca shot for under 40s to help expatriates, particularly in Saudi Arabia
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Pakistan allows AstraZeneca shot for under 40s to help expatriates, particularly in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia approved four vaccines for arrivals wanting to avoid quarantine: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson
- Pakistan health chief says using diplomatic channels to see if Saudi Arabia would approve Chinese vaccines soon
Pakistan warns citizens in Iran to keep travel documents ready amid intensifying protests
- Iranian universities reschedule exams, allow foreign students to leave the country for one month
- Donald Trump pledges support for Iranian protesters as ‘activists’ report more than 2,500 deaths
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat to Iran on Tuesday urged Pakistani nationals to keep their travel documents handy and advised students to plan ahead after Iranian universities rescheduled examinations to allow international students to leave, as weeks-long nationwide protests further intensified.
Iran has been gripped by protests since late December after shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest worsening economic conditions, triggered by the Iranian rial plunging to record lows against the US dollar.
The demonstrations quickly spread beyond the capital, with unrest reported in most of the country’s 31 provinces and involving traders, students and other groups.
Authorities have responded with arrests, use of force and Internet and mobile network disruptions, which rights groups say are aimed at curbing coordination and limiting coverage of the protests.
At least 100 Pakistani citizens, including students and pilgrims, have returned home through the Pakistan-Iran border in the southwestern province of Balochistan, a Pakistani official told Arab News on Tuesday, though many are still believed to be in the neighboring state.
“I urge all Pakistani citizens in Iran to keep their travel documents, particularly immigration-related documents such as passport and ID cards, readily available with them,” Ambassador Mudassir Tipu said in a post on X. “Those who have expired documents, or their documents are not in their possession, they may kindly urgently approach us for timely and expeditious assistance.”
In a separate post, he said Iranian universities had rescheduled examinations and allowed international students to leave the country for one month, advising Pakistani students to make their plans accordingly.
On Jan. 1, Pakistan advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, citing safety concerns linked to the protests. The Pakistani embassy in Tehran also set up a crisis management unit to provide round-the-clock assistance to citizens.
Iran eased some restrictions on Tuesday, allowing international phone calls via mobile networks for the first time in days, but maintained limits on Internet access and text messaging as the death toll from the protests rose to at least 2,571 people, according to the Associated Press that quoted “activists.”
In a message on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump urged Iranian protesters to continue their anti-government demonstrations, saying “help is on its way,” without providing details. Shortly afterward, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the United States and Israel of responsibility for the deaths of Iranian civilians.
Iranian state television said officials would hold funerals on Wednesday for “martyrs and security defenders” killed during the unrest, which has intensified over the past week.
