Islamabad: Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah on Saturday directed Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send the matter related to stranded Pakistanis, mostly students in China’s novel coronavirus-hit province Hubei and rest of the country, to federal cabinet’s upcoming meeting.
The chief justice gave this order while hearing a petition filed by parents and relatives of the stranded Pakistanis in China.
The court in view of the sensitivity and concerns of the parents conducted hearing on an off-day (Saturday) as the matter was earlier scheduled for Friday but the judge being on leave the case was rescheduled.
The counsel for petitioners drew the court’s attention towards the government officials’ statement that it couldn’t bring their children back home.
Pakistani students are living in miserable conditions and facing problems like shortage of food and supply of essential items, he said.
He requested the court to direct the government to evacuate children from there on urgent basis.
A large number of parents and elderly relatives of stranded Pakistani students attended the hearing.
On this occasion Justice Minallah remarked if the government couldn’t take up the matter with the Chinese government that the Pakistani students and others might be taken out of that province and shifted to other parts of the country.
A number of countries had already evacuated their students from there, the chief justice observed.
He also remarked there was lack of communication between parents and the government.
An official of the Foreign office informed the court that Prime Minister Imran Khan had talked to his Chinese counterpart, who had assured the Chinese government would take every care of the Pakistani students and considered them their own children.
We have activated two phone lines for the guidance of the students and receiving many calls on those lines.
Besides Pakistan embassy sent its two officials to Wuhan city of Hubei province to meet and listen and address the grievances of the Pakistani students, he further said.
They will remain there until the area is cleared of virus, he said.
The counsel for Pakistani students upon this said they didn’t meet all the students.
Justice Minallah asked the Foreign Office representative if the matter was considered by the Federal Cabinet. On his ignorance regarding federal cabinet’s update the court directed the matter be placed before the cabinet as it was a policy decision and the court couldn’t give any direction.
