Aftab Sherpao asks govt to increase flights to Gulf states

PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Wednesday asked the government to increase the number of flights to bring back the overseas Pakistanis stranded in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

According through a statement, he said though the government had ordered to resume flights from the airport in Peshawar to facilitate the return of the Pakistanis particularly the Pakhtuns to bring them back to their homeland, there was a dire need to lower the air fare.

“Most of the Pakistanis, who are now stranded in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, therefore, the government must lower the air fare to facilitate their return,” Aftab Sherpao said, adding that the number of the flights should also be increased.

The QWP leader said the overseas Pakistanis particularly the Pakhtuns had been sending billions of rupees remittances to the country, now it was the responsibility of the government to help them.

He maintained that more than 2.5 million Pakistanis worked in Saudi Arabia and a large number of Pakhtuns were among them. He said the overseas Pakistanis were an asset to the country as they sent billions of remittances to the country.