DUBAI – Over 20,000 Pakistani expats in the UAE awaiting repatriation flights home, local media reported on Sunday.
Last week, hundreds of protestors gathered outside Pakistan’s Consulate in Dubai to demand return flights.
Consulate official said they are working hard to address the issue, and hoped to confirm the start of flights soon.
“We have received and processed the registration of Pakistani nationals for repatriation from the UAE,” the Consulate General said in a statement on Saturday.
“We are awaiting permission from our government, which is expected soon. “After that, our special flight operations will start. You will be notified,” the official told the protestors.
On April 11, 127 Pakistanis in Azerbaijan were flown home on a special flight with Pakistan International Airlines.
Last Friday, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the country’s foreign minister, said the government had organised nine other chartered flights.
