FAISALABAD: The overseas Pakistanis being kept at a quarantine centre claim that they have been threatened by the district administration that their coronavirus report will be declared positive if they will speak against a lack of facilities.

A woman is very much perturbed as she is alone at the centre with 50 or so men using a joint washroom.

Videos of the overseas people at the centre went viral on the social media in which they narrated the issues in detail.

The district administration had dedicated the General Hospital Ghulam Muhammad Abad for the treatment of coronavirus patients and a special quarantine centre has been set up at PARS of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Jhang Road.

One of the patients at the centre claimed that people were not speaking against the problems as they had been threatened that they would get their coronavirus reports positive in case of speaking against the officials and a lack of facilities.

The reports of two persons had been kept on hold by the administration as they spoke against the poor facilities. He claimed that the administration was getting Rs 3,000 per day against each resident and that’s why their stay was being extended intentionally.

He said according to the revised SOPs, the administration had to release them before 48 hours. In Lahore and other cities, he said people including his cousins left for their homes before 48 hours.

However, in Faisalabad the situation is different and we are languishing at the centre for a couple of days. He said nobody was paying heed to our issues.

The woman said eight women had ended up at the centre from Dubai through a special flight (Pk-8222) on May 14. “We have been quarantined here and administration is daily promising to provide our report, but nothing is being done. Seven women had left the centre after receiving their reports and now I am here facing untold problems,” she said.

She said the assistant commissioner had been informed about the problems but to no avail. She questioned the delay in giving reports.

An overseas Pakistani who is on a wheelchair with fractured leg said he had requested the AC a number of times to provide him his report and let him go as he needed to undergo surgery. “I am very much disturbed due to pain in my leg and nobody would operate upon it due to Eid holidays,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali was contacted through messages on WhatsApp for his comments but he did not respond.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2020