Coronavirus: 41 Pak nationals stranded in India return through Attari border

GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, April 16 

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Forty-one Pakistani nationals, who were stuck in India following the closure of borders due to the COVID-19 lockdown, on Thursday returned to their country via the Attari-Wagah border.

The Indian government has been facilitating the repatriation of 180 Pakistani citizens, who were stranded in different parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

SAFMA activist Rajinder Singh Ruby said that 263 Indian citizens have also been stranded in Pakistan, including many students. They have been asked to “stay put”, in line with the government’s policy, until some arrangement was made for their return.

“We were in touch with several Sikh pilgrims who got stranded at Gurdwara Dehra Sahib in Lahore. They told that they had conveyed this to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to help them reach India,” he said.

All Pakistani nationals were screened as per the international norms before they were allowed to cross over to Wagah. As per directions, only asymptomatic ones could be allowed to return. They would undergo self-isolation on reaching Pakistan.

Showing gratitude towards Indian and Pakistani governments for taking prompt steps for their return, Karachi resident Mohammad Hussain said, “I came to this side through Wagah border for Mumbai on March 8 to attend Urs ritual. Meanwhile, the lockdown was imposed. We faced difficulty but it was acceptable as jaano ki hifazat pehli priority hai (protecting lives is the first priority). It was reasonable to implement restrictions to break coronavirus chain,” he said.

Nankana Sahib resident Bhupinder Singh said that he came on February 22 as a tourist with his family and was now happy to go back.

“Reaching back, my first move would be to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib and initiate ardas for ‘sarbat da bhalla’. As India did, Pakistan too should help Indian citizens, who got stuck in Pakistan due to lockdown, to reach their homes,” he said.

Karachi resident Vilayat Ali said that on February 16 he came to New Delhi along with his daughter who had to undergo plastic surgery.

“We are happy and going back after successful medical treatment here. We had two months of medical visa. My daughter was discharged on March 20, but before we couldn’t finish official formalities to get back to Pakistan and we got stranded due to COVID lockdown,” he said.

Peshawar resident Raja Singh and Karachi resident Mansur Ali came here to meet their Indian relatives and were happy to reunite with their families back home.