ISLAMABAD: The coronavirus pandemic is a global issue that can be fought with joint efforts and national unity, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said on Tuesday.

During a video meeting at Parliament House with representatives of the Tableeghi Jamaat in Raiwind, he added that attributing the spread of the coronavirus to a particular sect or group of people was not acceptable.

Mr Qaiser said arrangements should be made to take the more than 1,500 foreigners who are part of the Tableeghi Jamaat and are currently in Pakistan back to their countries, while Afghan nationals who are part of the organisation and are in Pakistan be allowed to leave through land routes.

He said 500 Pakistani participants abroad may be allowed to return.

He also said that locals who test negative for Covid-19 should be allowed to return to their hometowns.

Mr Qaiser was accompanied by Minister for Interior Syed Ijaz Shah, Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri and Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions Shehryar Afridi. Representatives of the national health services (NHS), interior, foreign affairs and aviation ministries were also present.

Mr Qaiser said the government was cognisant of the concerns of people associated with the Tableeghi Jamaat, which is why ministers and senior ministry officials were asked to listen to them and address their problems.

A representative of the organisation said government functionaries have been cooperative during the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Shah said the government would make all the necessary arrangements to safety transport foreigners and stranded Pakistanis once data is available.

Mr Qaiser constituted a committee led by Mr Afridi with NHS, interior, foreign affairs and aviation representatives to collect data on all the foreigners in Pakistan and Pakistanis stranded abroad and suggest measures to let them return home.

He directed the National Assembly Secretariat to notify the committee so it could start working as soon as possible, and for representatives of the four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to be associated with it as well.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2020