‘Govt steps up efforts to repatriate stranded people of Balochistan’

By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari Tuesday said the government had boosted its efforts to bring all the stranded people of Balochistan back to the country at the earliest.
The initiative was taken on the request of Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, who had asked the government for early repatriation of over 2,000 Balochistan-based overseas Pakistanis, stuck at foreign shores due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A special flight of the Air Arabia Airline had been arranged to airlift more than 200 expats [dwellers of Balochistan] from the United Arab Emirates on June 23, said a press release issued here by the OP&HRD ministry.
All the arrangements had been finalized in that regard and the relevant Embassy had been asked to facilitate the departing Pakistanis. The special flight would reach the Quetta Airport on June 23.
According to the ministry, on the request of provincial chief minister, a special repatriation operation had been initiated to bring remaining stranded people of Balochistan to the country.
The SAPM had formally informed the provincial chief minister about the federal government’s initiative regarding evacuation of all the stranded people of Balochistan. He said the repatriation operation would last until the evacuation of every stranded Pakistani.
Zulfikar Bukhari told Jam Kamal, in a letter, that he was personally monitoring the repatriation operation. “Safe repatriation of overseas Pakistanis is among the top most priority of Prime Minister Imran Khan.â€