ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is all set to dispatch food items for its stranded students in China, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfikar Bukhari said on Wednesday.
“We are sending food for Pakistani students after getting approval for a Rs40 million fund from the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Board,” Bukhari said.
He said the list of 1,300 Pakistani students stranded in China had been ascertained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said on Thursday that all countries were taking measures for the safety of their citizens. “Pakistani government has also taken all possible measures and our mission in China is in touch with our community there to fulfill all their needs.”
A day earlier Pakistani students stranded in China’s Hubei province told Arab News during a telephonic call that local authorities had started easing restrictions on movement and food supply after coronavirus infection in the province registered a sharp decrease in recent days.
According to the foreign office figures, 1,094 Pakistani students are stranded in the Hubei province, since the lockdown was enforced on January 23 to stem the spread of Covid-19.
The virus has infected more than 124,519 people in over 118 countries and killed at least 4,607, with a majority in mainland China.
Pakistan has registered 20 confirmed cases of the virus since February 26, of which one has recovered.
