ISLAMABAD, March 21: The government said on Friday up to 40,000 Pakistanis might have to return home from the Gulf region because of the US-led war against Iraq and they would be screened for dangerous diseases.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan told reporters here on Friday that medical units have been posted at all points of entry to reduce the risk of fatal diseases from being carried into the country by returning Pakistanis.

These units have been set up at airports and border entry points where incoming travellers will tested for HIV/AIDS and other dangerous diseases, he said.

During the 1991 Gulf War tens of thousands of Pakistani workers came mostly from Kuwait.

The minister said that the government of Pakistan has taken a brave stand despite economic pressures.