ISLAMABAD: Officials at the Saudi embassy in Islamabad and Pakistan’s mission in Riyadh on Saturday said a document widely quoted by local Pakistani media as a General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) notification asking Saudis based in Pakistan to leave was ‘fake.’

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper and other media reported on Saturday that Saudis living in Pakistan and four other Asian countries had been advised by GACA on Friday to return home “as soon as possible” since no flights would be available from these countries even if Riyadh decided to resume international flights next month.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia announced that the resumption of international flights on May 17 would exclude 20 countries, including Pakistan, as part of preventive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“That’s not true. It’s not officially published, so it’s fake,” an official at the Saudi embassy in Islamabad with direct knowledge of the matter told Arab News, commenting on the letter quoted by Pakistani media.

"I haven't seen any such letter issued by Saudi CAA," Mohammad Ahtisham, spokesperson for the Pakistan aviation division, told Arab News.

At the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh, an official said no official information had been received regarding the evacuation of Saudi nationals from Pakistan.

“It’s fake,” the official said about the GACA notification quoted in local media. “There is no date mentioned on this [document]. We have got no information that Saudi government has asked its citizens to leave Pakistan.”