The long awaited repatriation of 748 Indians stranded in Pakistan due to COVID-19 lockdown will begin from June 25 and will be completed in three phases.
Preparations are under way for opening of Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar as per the COVID-19 standard operating procedures. In the first batch, 250 Indians, primarily medical students and residents of Jammu and Kashmir would arrive at the border. The second batch of 250 Indians will arrive on June 26, and the remaining 248 on the next day.
Indian and Pakistani authorities have arrived at a mutual agreement on the whole repatriation process. While India sought the return of these 748 nationals, Pakistan has also asked for an early scheduling of return of Pakistani nationals stranded in India due to COVID-19.
There is no official communication about quarantine protocols to be followed, but sources claim that all returnees will be screened at the Indo-Pak border and eventually quarantined in their home states.
“We are currently making arrangements for screening and transportation of the returnees. They will be quarantined in their respective home districts or states like Haryana and Himachal and detailed tracking reports will be shared with the concerned health authorities. After this, we may see more cross border movement as Pakistan government has also sought repatriation of its citizens,” said a senior government official.
It may be noted that prior to this, around 250 Pakistani nationals have reportedly been repatriated in different phases through the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab.
