176 Pakistani nationals return from India

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said a group of 176 Pakistanis stranded in India due to the COVID-19 lockdown returned home on Wednesday. These Pakistanis came back via Wagah-Attari border between the two countries, a Foreign Ministry statement said, adding that they were stranded

in different Indian states due to the extended lockdown.

More than 400 stranded Pakistanis have been repatriated from India via Wagah-Attari border since March 20, according to the statement.

"In line with the Prime Minister's directions, for safe and smooth repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi remained in close contact with the Indian side," the statement said.

"The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi also facilitated and coordinated logistics for transfer of these Pakistanis to Attari from more than 20 different Indian cities, amid the lockdown," the statement added.

The ongoing efforts of the Foreign Ministry will continue till the repatriation of all remaining stranded Pakistanis, according to the statement.

Pakistan started repatriation of its nationals in March in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Foreign Ministry said earlier that a special cell namely the Crisis Management Unit is working at the ministry round-the-clock with a dedicated team to monitor the phased repatriation of Pakistanis across the globe in the wake of the rising threat of COVID-19.