176 Pakistanis stranded in India return home via Wagah border

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – As many as 176 Pakistanis stranded in India due to COVID-19 lockdown returned home via Attari-Wagah border on Wednesday. According to the details garnered, they will be kept in quarantine centers in Lahore prior to their departure for native towns. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistanis were stranded in different Indian states, including Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and Delhi, due to the extended lockdown and closure of Attari-Wagah border following the outbreak of coronavirus. 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 and the Foreign Office has been coordinating with other national authorities in Pakistan. The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi also facilitated and coordinated logistics for transfer of these Pakistanis to Attari from more than twenty different Indian cities, amid the lockdown. More than 400 stranded Pakistanis have been repatriated from India via Attari-Wagah border since March 20, 2020. The ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue till the repatriation of all remaining stranded Pakistanis.