Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said that the novel coronavirus pandemic is the biggest global challenge after the World War II that has caused severe difficulties for the whole world.
“The whole world has stopped practically because of the coronavirus,” The Express Tribune quoted Qureshi as saying on Friday while addressing the Pakistani community in the UK via a video link.
He said that efforts were being made to alleviate the plight of Pakistanis stranded abroad.
“Today, the number of Pakistanis stranded abroad has risen to more than 60,000 and is increasing on a daily basis,” said Qureshi.
On Friday, Imran Khan government has extended the countrywide lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic for 15 more days until May 9 amid doctors warnings against easing restrictions and the number of COVID-19 cases increasing to 11,729, with 248 deaths.
“I am happy to say that there has been a very positive response to this demand from the international community and international organisations,” The Express Tribune quoted Qureshi as saying.
According to authorities, Pakistan would also allow some foreign airlines to bring back about 40,000 Pakistani nationals stranded abroad.
On Saturday, Qureshi, while speaking at the virtual launch said that Pakistan was requesting its bilateral and multilateral partners to help it strengthen its healthcare infrastructure and create a fiscal space to deal with the challenge and its implications, reports Dawn news.
The primary objective of the plan is to deal with the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on Pakistan’s health sector.
Meanwhile, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has reached 197,245. A total of 2,830,051 people have been infected.