136 Pakistanis stranded in Iraq repatriated

Author: Agencies

A special flight of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) repatriated 136 stranded Pakistani citizens in Iraq on Wednesday.

Flight PK-9814 reached Islamabad in the morning, where a special team of doctors examined and screened the passengers. Along with the aircraft’s crew, the passengers have for now been quarantined at a local hotel, whereas one passenger has been shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences PIMS due to high fever.

According to the authorities concerned, blood samples of all the passengers and PIA’s crew will be taken at the hotel. Only those who test negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to go home.

On April 7, PIA pilots had refused to bring back the stranded Pakistanis from Iraq after two pilots and an air hostess of the flag carrier tested positive for coronavirus. PK-9813, travelling from Islamabad to Baghdad, was to fly back 161 Pakistanis who gathered at the Baghdad airport from various Iraqi cities. The pilots reportedly did not arrive at the airport despite assurances by the PIA CEO and other officials regarding the provision of protective gear. The refusal came following a standoff between the PIA and the Pakistan Air Line Pilots’ Association (PALPA) after the three crewmembers contracted the virus. They were onboard the recent special flight operated to bring back stranded Pakistanis from Canada.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Editorial

Protecting Journalists

Being a journalist in Pakistan means you must be willing to live with a Damoclean…

44 mins ago
  • Editorial

To Space

Pakistan's historic lunar payload - regardless of how small it may be when compared to…

44 mins ago
  • Op-Ed

Snakes, Ladders and the Power Paradox

Barack Obama's rise to the presidency in 2009 gave hope to millions across the globe.…

45 mins ago
  • Cartoons

TODAY’S CARTOON

45 mins ago
  • Op-Ed

This Is Not a Jungle!

Pakistan is neither a jungle nor are the ways of the jungle followed here. There…

47 mins ago
  • Op-Ed

Populists and Polarized Democracies – III

The long-term adverse effects of a polarized nation extend beyond immediate social unrest to the…

48 mins ago