A file photo of Pakistan President
Pakistan President Dr Arif Alfi has quoted a saying the Prophet Mohammad to justify the country’s decision to not evacuate Pakistani nationals from Wuhan, even as the Imran Khan government faces flak and ridicule for leaving citizens to their own fate amid the health emergency.
As of Sunday, the global death toll due to coronavirus touched 305, with maximum deaths being reported from China.
“If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it, but if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place,” said Alvi, citing the Hadith on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s decision to not fly out its citizens from Wuhan, unlike India, has ramped up domestic anger against the government.
A video taken by a Pakistani student in Wuhan, while Indian nationals were being evacuated from the city, has drawn emotional reactions on Twitter.
On Sunday, India airlifted the second batch of 323 stranded Indians and seven Maldivian citizens from coronavirus-hit Wuhan city, taking the total number of people evacuated to 654.
Air India's jumbo B747 made two flights to Wuhan city - the ground zero of the coronavirus epidemic. In the first flight on early Saturday, 324 Indians were evacuated and on Sunday another 323 Indians and seven Maldivian citizens were flown back
The Indian Army has set up a quarantine facility in Manesar near Delhi to keep those evacuated from the virus-hit province. They would be monitored for any signs of infection for two weeks by a qualified team of doctors and staff members
The virus that emerged in late December in Hubei province capital Wuhan has now spread to 25 countries, including India where a second case of coronavirus was reported from Kerala on Sunday
India's first novel coronavirus case was also reported from Kerala with a student testing positive.
(with PTI inputs)
