PESHAWAR: As cities all over the world are facing increasing lockdowns and international travel is coming to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus outbreak, migrant workers desperate to Saudi Arabia jostle outside the Pakistan International Airlines office in Peshawar in large numbers.

They have stayed put outside the premises on Arbab Road for two days.

Clutching their modest belongings and talking anxiously on their phones, these workers desperately want to return to work in Saudi Arabia before the virus outbreak causes further lockdowns and international travel restrictions.

A large number of them held onto the gates of the PIA office, some sat on footpath on the other side of the road.

Workers desperate to return to Saudi Arabia

The panic set in after the Saudi government directed iqama holders to return to the country within 72 hours and majority of migrant workers want to go back fearing the lockdowns and closures will draw a bit longer rendering them jobless.

A large number of migrant workers from the rural area of KP work in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

Sahibur Rehman of Samar Bagh area in Lower Dir district has got stuck in Peshawar for two days.

Following the Saudi announcement, he packed his belongings in a small bag and left for Peshawar, where he is lodged in a nearby hotel.

“I am paying Rs600 per night at the hotel and even said goodbye to my family,” he said.

Mr Rehman returned to Pakistan around four months ago, while his vacation will end later this month.

He feared that he would be stuck in the country after the 72 hours window lapsed and he would be rendered jobless.

“I have been waiting here for the last two days and even can’t think about going back,” he said.

Farmanullah of Peshawar is scheduled to return to the kingdom on April 17. However, the fear of the prolonged international travel restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak has compelled him to clutch the gates of the PIA office.

He said like others, he had heard about the possible suspension of flights for four months, so if that happened, he would lose his visa and won’t be able to return to work in Saudi Arabia.

Javed Khan of Takhta Bhai area said the situation was deteriorating fast as the Pakistani government had stopped international flights from all airports except Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

Pervez Khan has to return to Jeddah on March 16. However, he has got stuck outside the PIA office for the last two days.

Nasrallah, another anxious worker, claimed that the rates of airline tickets had gone up and they were hedging their bets on any possibility of getting out of Pakistan on time.

“I am not afraid of coronavirus or any other illness and nobody lives a second longer than his time on the Earth,” he said stoically, when asked whether or not he fears travelling when the people all over the world are avoiding travel due to the virus fears.

An official of PIA said the airline had not cancelled any tickets and all those waiting outside the airline offices could see his reservation details online.

He said the passengers with April and May tickets could not be adjusted to those flights and majority of those waiting outside had their flight reservations for those two months and wanted to adjust their tickets to the 72 hours window.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2020