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Combating coronavirus: Pakistan lauds UAE's efforts to support workers

Dubai - Minister Al Hamli praised the response and cooperation by the Pakistani government to streamline the return of the Pakistani nationals working in the UAE.

Top officials from the UAE and Pakistan have discussed repatriation of Pakistani workers during a video conference.

Nasser bin Thani Al Hamli, UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, discussed the evacuation of workers whose employment contracts are expired or those who want to benefit from the Early Leave initiative with Zulfikar Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis.

During the video conference, Al Hamli praised the response and cooperation by the Pakistani government to streamline the return of the Pakistani nationals working in the UAE.

Bukhari lauded the relentless efforts of the UAE to enforce preventive measures against Covid-19 for the workers, including the Pakistanis, while appreciating the Early Leave initiative.

The Early Leave initiative has been launched as part of the humanitarian programmes of the UAE government to meet the needs and requirements of the expats who want to go back to their home countries and to support them in these difficult times.

Al Hamli and Bukhari agreed on a mechanism to evacuate the Pakistani workers who want to leave the UAE while priority is given to workers with expired employment contracts.

UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Alzaabi extended his gratitude to the Pakistani government for its cooperation to ensure successful repatriation of its stranded nationals.

"Constant work and coordination are under way to ensure return of our Pakistani brothers to Pakistan from the UAE within a specific mechanism. Thanks again to the government of Pakistan and my dear brother Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari for taking interest, cooperation and thorough follow up," the envoy said in a tweet.

So far 3,418 Pakistanis had been repatriated from the UAE since the beginning of special flight operations, said an official of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. Currently, the third phase for evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from across the globe is under way, he added.

mary@khaleejtimes.com