ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought details of steps taken by the government to fight coronavirus and the government’s response to redress grievances of Pakistanis stranded in China.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah resumed hearing of a petition seeking the court’s instruction for the government to bring back from China Pakistani citizens, mostly students, who have been stranded there because of the outbreak of coronavirus.

The assistant attorney general as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the court that the government had allocated funds to compensate the stranded Pakistanis in Hubei province of China.

Assistant Attorney General Saifullah Gondal stated that President Dr Arif Alvi had planned a visit to China. The Foreign Office director, however, said that a final decision in this regard had not been finalised.

Parents call for return of their children stranded in China

The law officer told the court that the coronavirus issue was the top priority of the government, saying that the government was taking up this issue at the National Security Committee level. He further said that the federal cabinet in its upcoming meeting next week would take important decisions.

Chief Justice Minallah directed the government’s representative to submit the minutes of the upcoming meeting of the federal cabinet related to coronavirus disease and decisions taken by the government.

The Foreign Office director told the court that a Pakistani who died in China was not suffering from coronavirus.

Niaz Brohi, counsel for the petitioner, told the court that despite the court’s directions the government had yet to evolve a comprehensive policy to decide the fate of stranded Pakistanis in China.

Parents of the stranded students in China informed the court that government officials had categorically refused to bring back stranded Pakistani students to the country.

They said they did not need financial assistance, but they wanted their children should be brought to the country as soon as possible.

Chief Justice Minallah remarked that the viral disease had become a pandemic and even the United States had banned flights from Europe.

In the previous hearing, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apprised the bench that only 23 out of 194 countries were evacuating their citizens from China, adding Bangladesh had also withdrawn its decision in this regard.

He said India had brought back its several citizens; however, eighty Indians were still in China. He informed the court that a total of 1,000 Pakistanis were in Wuhan city of China.

“The government would decide the matter in the benefit of students and the country,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020