Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui has said that 100,000 Pakistanis, who are stranded abroad, wish to return to the country but the lack of quarantine facilities was hindering the repatriation process.

More than 60,000 Pakistanis wished to return from UAE while more than 15,000 people were stranded in Saudi Arabia, she said.

Farooqui said that every person who arrives from another country has to be quarantined for three days and would be allowed to go home if their test results are negative. The provinces have been asked to arrange adequate quarantine facilities, after which the process of repatriation can speed up.

Opinion

Editorial

Climate choices
Updated 15 Jun, 2026

Climate choices

The country is confronting increasingly volatile weather patterns with consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, public health and economic planning.
Brief opening
15 Jun, 2026

Brief opening

WE have been here before. Throughout the weekend, there was great anticipation that a tentative framework for peace...
Environmental disaster
15 Jun, 2026

Environmental disaster

IT was a heartbreaking sight. A recent news report in these pages carried a picture of a sea turtle lying half ...
Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...