Replies sought on plea to bring back Pakistanis from Iran

LAHORE :The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought replies from the federal government and ministry of foreign affairs on a petition for bringing Pakistani citizens back from Iran in wake of coronavirus outbreak.

Representing the petition, Advocate Muhammad Asif told the court that thousands of Pakistanis had gone to Iran to visit religious places. He said the citizens had been stranded there due to suspension of flight operations by Pakistan. He pointed out that the border with Iran had also been closed due to the fear of coronavirus.

The counsel stated that relatives of the petitioner were also stuck in Mashhad City of Iran and they were not affected with the virus. The lawyer said that all the countries had already evacuated their citizens from Iran due to higher possibility of spreading the disease. He asked the court to order the ministry of foreign affairs to evacuate all Pakistani citizens from Iran without delay.

Justice Shahid Waheed directed a law officer to seek instructions from the government in the matter and ensure submission of replies on behalf of the respondents by next hearing. A similar petition is already pending before the court for bringing back citizens stranded in China.