Opp senator says govt should bring back its citizens from China and keep them in isolation
Opposition lawmakers in Senate on Friday slammed the government’s decision to leave Pakistani citizens stranded in China due to “larger public interest” in the wake of a global novel coronavirus outbreak.
During a heated debate in the Upper House, the opposition called for bringing back over 500 Pakistani students who are stuck in the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan and for establishing a temporary quarantine to contain a possible outbreak in the country.
Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Senator Usman Khan Kakar said that a dangerous situation has emerged due to the spread of coronavirus. Referring to Wuhan, he said: “There is a curfew-like situation in the city.”
He added that Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza was of the opinion that the Pakistani students currently stranded in China should not be repatriated. “Chinese people are coming to Pakistan but our own citizens are not being brought back,” he alleged.
A day earlier, the government had decided to leave the students stranded in Wuhan, saying it won’t indulge in “irresponsible” behaviour by evacuating Pakistan nationals as this could lead to further spread of the deadly virus.
During the session, Kakar urged the government to bring back the citizens and to isolate them in a particular area. “We have been unable to treat tuberculosis, polio and measles, so treating coronavirus is out of the question,” he said.
Meanwhile, PML-N parliamentary leader Mushahidullah Khan called coronavirus an “epidemic and a global catastrophe”.
“The foreign minister and the health ministry need to take action immediately [in this regard]. There is a Pakistani embassy in China but nobody there seems to be active,” he claimed.
Criticising the government’s decision, he added that other countries were also evacuating their citizens from China.
“So far we have not adopted any precautionary measures. Whenever there is a problem, they just try to get rid of it. Their [students in China] mothers are crying and we have abandoned them,” he added.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq stated that “coronavirus is now a global health emergency”.
“China has no hand in the current health crisis. They themselves have been affected by this virus. Only time will tell how far this virus has spread.
PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz also sided with the views of the opposition and stated that students who show no signs of the virus should be allowed to enter the country while those that are sick should be quarantined.
However, PTI Senator Seemi Ezdi explained that it was in the best interest of the Pakistanis in China to stay there.
“They have better access to health facilities and are also trying to come up with a treatment for the virus. We cannot treat this virus. The government’s decision is in the best interest of Pakistani citizens.”
Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman maintained that Pakistan has expressed solidarity with the Chinese government, but urged the government to take precautionary steps.
“Protecting their citizens is the prime responsibility of any country. The government should order kits for diagnosing coronavirus as the screening at airports is not helping us to diagnose cases,” she said.
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