Laudable steps

The Pakistani consulate in the United Arab Emirates is doing a tremendous job on the instruction of its government to facilitate stranded Pakistanis and bring them back to the country.

It is a responsibility upon every individual to follow the procedure and precautionary measures to combat coronavirus (“Pak CG assures countrymen all stranded will be repatriated,” May 8, Gulf Today).

The Pakistani consulate in Dubai has registered 63,000 people who wish to go back to their homes, an official from the consulate said: “We prefer three major categories among stranded Pakistanis, our top priority are those who are sick, elderly or pregnant. We are also prioritising visit visa travellers and those who have lost their jobs or who have been sent on paid or unpaid leave.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government is doing its best to provide the reasonable assistance to its people whether they are in the country or abroad.

A huge number of Pakistanis around the world are waiting to go back to their homes. The coronavirus test is compulsory at the airports for every Pakistani who reaches his home country. It takes two days, by the time the test’s results come, if a traveller is positive, the government puts him for 15 days in quarantine.

The government of Pakistan should allow all Pakistanis who are returning from abroad to go home straight and advise them to go on self-quarantine instead of keeping people in government facilities.

More than 1,50,000 people are ready to go back to their homes, so it is impossible for any government to keep them in the quarantine facility for 15 days then allow them to go home.

It is also a responsibility of Pakistanis to go on self-quarantine for 15 days on the day they return to Pakistan. Why self-quarantine is so important for Pakistanis after returning to the home country is because we Pakistanis have the best joint family system, and we live together.

To make sure that everyone will remain safe in the house, specially elders from coronavirus, self-quarantine is very important for a person who comes from abroad. I would like to appreciate the decisions taken by the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government from the start of the global pandemic, which are truly appreciable.

Ali Murtaza — By email