Stranded Pakistani expats complain about unavailability of rapid PCR test facilities at major airports

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

After months of anxiety over suspension of flights, passengers bound for the UAE can now heave a sigh of relief as regular flights have recommenced from six restricted countries.

On Thursday, a couple of flights from India landed at Dubai International Airport with delight writ large on the faces of scores of passengers who were stranded for months in different cities.

The first regular flight from Lahore to Dubai is due late on Thursday night while many passengers and their relatives took to social media to highlight the unavailability of rapid test facilities for the passengers at major airports in Pakistan.

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According to some reports, only Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport has the coronavirus rapid test facility for outbound passengers while other major international ports including Peshawar, Multan, Islamabad and Faisalabad still waiting for the authorities to put the necessary arrangements in place.

This is to facilitate the thousands of passengers stranded for months all over the country and waiting to return to their jobs, business or other obligations pending in the UAE.

All passengers have been asked to get approval prior to their return to the UAE from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) through its online platform. In many cases the stranded residents took advantage of social media platforms to air their grievances over their rush to booking offices after the announcement of resumption of air travel to the UAE.