ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz on Thursday confirmed that at least 30 Pakistani citizens have died of COVID-19 so far in the kingdom, media reported. Briefing a meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad, via video link, Ali Ejaz said that 150 Pakistani nationals have been affected by the novel coronavirus in Saudi Arabia.
He maintained that the Saudi government was providing best medical facilities to the COVID-19 patients. The ambassador said that the government was taking effective measures to stop the spread of the virus in the country. On the occasion, FM Qureshi said the coronavirus pandemic has hit more than 209 countries and states worldwide. He said the number of deaths in Pakistan is low compared with many other nations. The foreign minister said, “30,000 Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia want to return and we are making arrangements for their repatriation.”
Earlier on April 23, the Foreign Office had said at least 138 Pakistanis had died from the coronavirus in different countries. “Most countries do not give ethnicities of those who succumbed to Coronavirus. Most figures shared are informal and anecdotal as to how many Pakistanis or Pakistani origin people have died,” Spokesperson Ayesha Farooqui had said.–Agencies
