Making Zaireen scapegoat for COVID-19 not fair

ISLAMABAD: The government’s poor messaging on the return of ‘Zaireen’ from epidemic-stricken Iran intensified the controversy and strained the fragile sectarian harmony in the country, says the Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) in a report launched here Monday.

The report cites official figures stating that about 300,000 people use the border crossing every year. The inadequate facilities at Taftan often hit headlines at the time of peak traffic periods every year. COVID-19, however, underscored those inadequacies unlike before. The report titled ‘COVID-19 in Pakistan: The Politics of Scapegoating Zaireen’ deconstructs and unpacks the controversy over the return of nearly 7000 Pakistani pilgrims from Iran after the outbreak of deadly infectious disease there. It looks into the handling of the pilgrims at Taftan, their transfer to provinces and the political and media narratives about the returning Zaireen.

IPI publication said that haphazard closure of border crossing on Feb 23 and absence of a proper explanation for shutting down the crossing and then its subsequent reopening on Feb 28 contributed to the deluge at the Taftan amidst aggressively spreading disease in Iran. This particular mistake led to allegations within Pakistan that the decision to reopen was politically influenced and motivated by sectarian considerations.

IPI Executive Director Sajjad Bokhari said there were genuine fears about the new disease, but the row here was driven mainly by intense political polarization, the undercurrents of sectarian bias, and anti-Iran sentiments. He alleged that the government’s communication on Zaireen crisis was particularly ‘irresponsible’ and could have consequences for a society with a delicate sectarian balance.

The report notes that the government has consistently tried to evade responsibility for the mishandling of Zaireen at Taftan border by presenting it as deserted and remote border outpost. As a matter of fact, it is a regular border crossing on a well frequented land route between Pakistan and Iran, which ought to have been better equipped and well prepared.

It recalled that the shortcomings at all of Pakistan’s ports of entry were also pointed out in WHO evaluation in 2016, which revealed that they were not fully prepared to prevent, detect and respond to health threats and protect the country’s population.

It observed that there were coordination issues at the Iranian and Pakistani sides of the border for exit and entry of the pilgrims leaving Iran. However, those were exaggerated and projected as Zaireen being thrown out of Iran. The Zaireen had voluntarily travelled over 1400km to border to enter Pakistan and there was no evidence to prove that they had been forcibly hauled over such a long distance.

There were, however, at the same time instances of Pakistan and Iran cooperating over the issue as well like Tehran suspending its visa services for Pakistani pilgrims on Feb 26 on Islamabad’s request and later working with Pakistan Embassy in Iran to accommodate the Zaireen, who had decided to stay back.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif on March 22, about “coordination at the border” well after the peak crisis had passed. The report emphasized need for better and effective coordination during times of emergencies.

The report revealed that tests conducted at the provincial quarantines showed that of the 6,834 pilgrims, who had returned from Iran, 1,331 were found to be infected. This included 701 in Punjab, 280 in Sindh, 141 in Balochistan, 68 in KP, 139 in GB, and 02 in AJK. No tests were done at Taftan. It infers that higher infection rate among the Zaireen was because of all of them being kept together at the ‘Taftan quarantine’ and the long distances they travelled with each other without adequate protection.

The pilgrims, the report said, remained in quarantine for a minimum of 28 days and were allowed back home only after testing negative. In some instances pilgrims remained in quarantine for up to 50 days.