Pakistan has requested Saudi Arabia to extend the travel deadline imposed by it by March 25 on humanitarian grounds to allow more time to travellers to reach their destinations. The 72-hour deadline set by the kingdom on Thursday is due to expire on Sunday (today) at 3pm.
The Civil Aviation Authority has sent the request to Saudi Aviation as there are over 5,000 Pakistanis who want to travel to the Arab state before the deadline expires. The CAA said that all private airlines and the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) are operating to take the passengers to Saudi Arabia, adding that they are waiting for a reply from the Saudi counterpart. Taking precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus spread, Saudi Arabia on Thursday had asked its citizens and Iqama holders (residency permit holders) to return to their respective countries as part of preventive measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. “The decision gives a 72-hour period for citizens and those with valid residency of the citizens of those countries to return to the kingdom, before the travel suspension decision becomes effective,” the official Saudi Press Agency had announced on its website.
According to the official data, 142 special flights were operated between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia since Thursday in which as many as 39,980 passengers from both the countries travelled. CAA officials have expressed hope that the Saudi government will seriously consider their request. COVID-19, a mysterious pneumonia-like disease which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, has now spread all over the world. The global death toll is now over 5,500 with more than 145,500 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organisation, which has declared the outbreak a pandemic.
