More than 250 Pakistanis return from Saudi Arabia on special flight

Pakistani nationals in Saudi Arabia are seen here processing their travel documents before a flight to Karachi at the Jeddah International Airport on June 10, 2020. (Photo courtesy: Pakistan Consulate General in Jeddah)

• This was the 12 flight operated to bring nationals back from the Kingdom
• Around 2,500 Pakistanis have been repatriated from Jeddah so far 

ISLAMABAD: A special flight with 251 Pakistanis on board has left for Karachi from Jeddah, the Consulate General of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Pakistan’s ongoing international repatriation flight operation, PIA special flight PK-786 carrying 251 passengers left Jeddah for Karachi,” the statement said.
It added that Deputy Consul General, Shaiq Ahmed Bhutto, and Consul Welfare, Majid Memon, were present at the Jeddah International Airport to bid farewell to the passengers “on behalf of the Consul General of Pakistan.”
The government launched select Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) flights to repatriate nationals stuck in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, due to the coronavirus lockdown.
“This was the 12 PIA special flight from Jeddah, and around 2,500 Pakistanis have been repatriated since May 2020. Similar PIA flights are also being operated from Riyadh region,” excerpts from the statement said, adding that the Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah were “coordinating arrangements of these special flights.”
Saudi Arabia halted all international travel and the Umrah pilgrimage in March this year, to limit the outbreak which has killed 783 in the Kingdom this far.
Over the months, Pakistan has brought back more than 15,000 nationals who had traveled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah but were left stranded there due to the travel ban.