IHC asks families of students in Wuhan to trust state efforts

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah has asked the parents of Pakistani students stranded in China to trust the state as it is taking the right measures given the circumstances.

Justice Minallah made the remark while hearing a case related to the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in China. During the hearing, high-level officials from the Foreign Ministry and Cabinet Division presented the government’s response, which had earlier been sought by the court.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General (China) Mudassir Tipu told the court that things are improving in China following the initial outbreak, and that the situation will improve further in the next two weeks. Tipu also informed the court that a plane carrying food items and medicines provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had already been dispatched to China. He further said that the government has provided cash grants to "95 percent" of students residing in China.

During the hearing, parents of the stranded Pakistani students complained that the government had not taken any measures to bring back their children. To this, IHC CJ said the most important thing is that the Pakistani students are much safer in China as theywould have been at greater risk in Pakistan.

“The US and the UK have acknowledged after taking back their citizens that they did the wrong thing,” the judge noted, adding that the only success story in the world right now in the fight against coronavirus is the one demonstrated by China.

The judge said that the court would be wrapping up the case and that the worried parents should trust the state in the matter. He noted that the National Security Committee is also looking into the issue. The parents, however, pleaded that the case not be concluded but kept in a pending state.