ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday expressed concern over the United Kingdom’s continued requirement for Pakistani nationals to undergo a costly 10-day hotel quarantine by retaining their country on its “red list” during a phone call with UK’s First Secretary of State Dominic Raab.
The UK authorities placed Pakistan and India on its red list of countries in April due to a surge in COVID-19 delta variant cases, though India was later upgraded to the “amber list” and its nationals are now required to provide proof of vaccination and negative virus test results after their arrival in the UK.
Pakistan’s high commission in London expressed its “disappointment” over Britain’s decision to retain Pakistan’s name on the list in the recent travel update on Thursday.
The country’s health chief Dr. Faisal Sultan had already sent a letter to UK officials earlier this month, showing that his country had the lowest daily cases, daily deaths, test positivity and total mortality in the whole region.
“The Foreign Minister shared concerns over the retention of Pakistan on the ‘Red List’ for travel ban,” the foreign office said in a statement while providing details of the conversation between the two officials. “He noted that the Covid-19 situation in Pakistan has improved and urged the UK government to reconsider its decision.”
The UK official had called Qureshi to discuss the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.
The foreign minister condemned the recent suicide attack near the Kabul airport on Thursday while pointing out that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward in the war-battered country.
“The Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s efforts in facilitating evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organizations and others, including British nationals, and assured Pakistan’s continued support in this context,” the statement added.
The UK foreign secretary thanked Pakistan for its support and facilitation.
The two officials also agreed to remain in close contact with each other.
Pakistan raises concern with UK authorities for keeping it on ‘red list’ for travel
https://arab.news/mqqyy
Pakistan raises concern with UK authorities for keeping it on ‘red list’ for travel
- Despite an improvement in the pandemic situation, Pakistani nationals are still required to undergo costly hotel quarantine on arrival in Britain
- Pakistani foreign minister also tells Britain an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward in Afghanistan
Eight killed as protesters storm US Consulate in Karachi after Iran confirms Khamenei killed
- Protesters smashed doors, set fire to property as police used tear gas to disperse crowds
- Protests spread to Shia-majority areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, UN office torched, curfew imposed
ISLAMABAD: At least eight people were killed in clashes near the US Consulate in Karachi on Sunday, the Edhi Foundation said, as protests erupted across parts of Pakistan following Iran’s confirmation that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US–Israeli strikes.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the consulate on Sunday morning, with some attempting to storm the compound and vandalizing property, according to footage circulating on social media and international news reports.
Videos showed protesters armed with sticks smashing doors and windows. Separate footage appeared to show property inside the consulate premises set on fire. International media outlets reported that police used tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowd.
“The number of people killed during the firing and unrest near the American Consulate on Mai Kolachi Road has risen to eight,” the Edhi Foundation, a major charity and rescue organization, said in a statement.
Speaking to Arab News, Edhi Foundation Chairman Faisal Edhi said over 30 people were injured apart from the eight killed. He said some of the injured were critically wounded, adding that the death toll could increase.
Edhi said protesters were shot by the security personnel from inside the US consulate.
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar directed authorities to strengthen security around sensitive installations as unrest intensified.
“No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands,” Lanjar said in a statement issued by his office.
He added that law enforcement agencies were fully alert and monitoring the situation, and vowed that action would be taken in accordance with the law against those disturbing public order.
The violence came hours after Iranian authorities confirmed Khamenei was killed in coordinated strikes carried out by the United States and Israel, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East and triggering protests in several countries.
PROTESTS SPREAD
Demonstrations were also reported in Skardu, in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, where hundreds of people staged a sit-in on a main road to protest Khamenei’s killing.
Shabbir Mir, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister, told Arab News that a United Nations office in the district had been set on fire.
“The protesters have torched an UN office in Skardu,” Mir confirmed.
The unrest in Pakistan follows a sharp escalation in the Middle East after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes in Iran on Saturday.
According to US officials, the operation targeted Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. The US military said it suffered no casualties and reported minimal damage to its bases despite what it described as “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Israeli ally UAE said its air defense systems intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles and drones, but debris from the interceptions caused material damage in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and at least one civilian, including a Pakistani national, was killed.
The UAE government condemned the strikes as a “blatant violation of national sovereignty and international law,” and issued rare emergency alerts urging residents to seek shelter, underscoring how the conflict has rippled far beyond Iran’s borders.
The Israeli military said dozens of Iranian missiles were fired toward Israeli territory, many of which were intercepted. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being wounded in a missile strike.
