Aviation Minister Malik Ghulam Sarwar has said that on May 18, flights were being sent to Wuhan to bring back Pakistani students stranded in the Chinese city.

He added that while repatriating overseas Pakistanis, the government had preferred those expatriates who were in other countries on a visit visa.

Speaking on the floor of the parliament, he said that prisoners in overseas jails had been brought back without any charges. Sarwar told the lower house that airline staff were also "on the frontline" in the fight against the virus and were risking their lives and health.

"There has been no shortcoming on our end," he said.