Islamabad: – Thousands of Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan due to Coronavirus, are trying to return to the homeland. There were nearly 10,000 Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan. But Afghanistan closed its borders with Pakistan after the spread of Coronavirus increased in Pakistan. The afghan people seem to be trying to return to Afghanistan realising fear for their life after Pakistan opened the border. The Afghan agencies had appealed to Pakistan to open its borders to relieve the Afghan citizens. Accordingly, Pakistan decided to open the border for four days, starting Saturday. On the first day, the Afghan people were allowed to proceed in a very disciplined way. But on Tuesday, the systems went for a toss. Thousands of Afghanis rushed into Afghanistan, breaking the rules and not even observing Social Distancing. Videos and photographs of the incident have been published in the media. Thereafter, Pakistan is facing severe criticism. The Afghan agencies also have accused Pakistan of irresponsibility. Fears are being expressed that this one mistake could lead to an outbreak of Coronavirus in Afghanistan. But the Pakistan agencies have denied the accusations.
Coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Pakistan. 4,000 cases of Coronavirus have been reported from Pakistan, so far. Fears are being expressed that by the end of April, this number will cross 70,000. Moreover, fears are also being expressed by some of the Pakistani journalists that there could be hundreds of thousands of undetected Coronavirus cases in Pakistan at the moment. This was a threat to the lives of the Afghan citizens and therefore they fled to the homeland.
Meanwhile, as Afghanistan shares a long border with Iran, there is a possibility of Coronavirus spreading in the country. The biggest threat is in the Herat and Jalalabad provinces. These provinces are also very poor in medical facilities. Therefore, India has temporarily shut its diplomatic offices in these provinces. Staff in these offices and the security personnel from ITBP have been airlifted back to the homeland.
Related posts:
Pakistan piqued by India-Afghanistan friendship: Former Afghan President
Iran would launch attacks on terrorist bases by barging into Pakistan, warned Iran’s military chief
US will take strict action against Pakistan, warns senior US official
11 soldiers killed in terror attack in Kabul; Pakistani army’s involvement alleged
More than 800 Pakistan sponsored Taliban killed in Afghan military action, informs Afghan defence ministry
Pakistan plots attacks on Indian Embassies in Afghanistan
