The Pakistan International Airlines has been allowed to operate two additional flights to the UK ahead of April 9th, to bring back Pakistanis from the UK.
Earlier On 2nd april, the UK Government had confirmed that Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and Kenya will be added to its red list of countries from 0400 BST on Friday 9 April 2021.
Booking for the special flights are open till 10pm tonight and the first PIA flight will depart from Islamabad to Manchester on April 7, says the PIA spokesperson.
The airlines asked the UK government to allow four additional flights but UK permitted only two.
Responding to the UK’s new ban on travelers from Pakistan and three other countries over virus concerns, a Pakistani minister on Saturday (3rd april) questioned whether the decision is “based on science or foreign policy.”
Asad Umar, the country’s planning minister who is also leading its pandemic response, said the move has raised some “legitimate” concerns.
“Every country has a right to take decisions to safeguard the health of their citizens. However, the recent decision by UK government to add some countries including Pakistan on the red list raises a legitimate question whether choice of countries is based on science or foreign policy,” Umar said on Twitter.
Every country has a right to take decisions to safeguard the health of their citizens. However, the recent decision by UK govt to add some countries including Pakistan on the red list raises a legitimate question whether choice of countries is based on science or foreign policy pic.twitter.com/BAzaW1Lc8l
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) April 3, 2021
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