ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of desperate Pakistanis overwhelmed a government-run coronavirus vaccination center in the capital Monday as the nation grapples with a shortage of life-saving shots even as a decline in new infections has seen some restrictions eased.
Most of those clamouring to be vaccinated were Pakistanis who work overseas — mainly in the Gulf Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia — who need a shot of the hard-to-find AstraZeneca vaccine to travel there.
“We have a very limited capacity here, but for the past few days the center has been overwhelmed by those wanting to travel abroad,” senior police official Farooq Amjad Buttar told AFP.
Pakistan has so far fully or partially vaccinated nearly 12 million people from a population of 220 million, and mostly with the Chinese Sinopharm or Sinovac jabs.
Most Gulf nations, however, require incoming foreign workers to be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca or Pfizer brands, which are in short supply in Pakistan.
Millions of Pakistanis work abroad, and their remittances are a key part of Pakistan’s economy and its foreign currency reserves.
On Monday, a crowd of hundreds overwhelmed staff at a vaccination center, smashing glass doors as they pressed to get in.
“It was not a protest or an attack,” Buttar said, downplaying the incident in which no one was injured.
Muhammad Shehzad, traveled from the northwestern city of Mardan to Islamabad in the hope of getting an AstraZeneca shot.
“Saudi officials say they will let us enter only after getting vaccinated,” he said
“Before I got a Chinese vaccine, but they are saying they will accept American vaccines only,” Shehzad added.
Earlier this month Pakistan received 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca under the COVAX facility.
So far, the impoverished South Asian nation has dodged the worst of Covid-19, but officials have warned a fourth wave could hit the country next month.
Deaths and new infections have come down, however, and social gathering restrictions have recently been eased, business hours extended and some school reopened.
Desperate Pakistanis working overseas in Gulf nations overrun COVID-19 vaccine center in Islamabad
https://arab.news/6g23j
Desperate Pakistanis working overseas in Gulf nations overrun COVID-19 vaccine center in Islamabad
- Most Gulf nations require incoming foreign workers to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca or Pfizer which are in short supply in Pakistan
- On Monday, a crowd of hundreds overwhelmed staff at a vaccination center, smashing glass doors as they pressed to get in
Pakistan to bar passengers with incomplete, unverified documents from travel abroad, minister says
- Authorities have arrested several Pakistani and foreign nationals traveling on forged documents in recent years
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reassures that passengers with valid documents will not be stopped from traveling
KARACHI: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that Pakistan will bar passengers carrying incomplete or unverified travel documents from traveling abroad, amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration and visa exploitation.
The issue of illegal immigration and its consequences have gained significant attention in Pakistan after the arrest of several Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged documents in recent years.
During a visit to the Karachi airport, Naqvi reviewed the immigration process, met passengers who were traveling abroad and inquired about any difficulties in the process, according to his ministry.
“Passengers with incomplete and unverified documents are not allowed to travel under any circumstances,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by the interior ministry.
Pakistan has also cracked down on individuals accused of exploiting visas to solicit money in Saudi Arabia, a practice officials warned was damaging the country’s image and could affect genuine visa-seekers.
Naqvi said Pakistan’s honor was above everything and no one will be allowed to tarnish the country’s image under any circumstances.
“No passenger with valid documents has been or will be stopped from traveling,” he reassured.
