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News Lahore, Pakistan - 20th June 2020


UMISAA Scholars flyback to their native countries



Dear France,

After a very tense time, Nepal Govt has arranged a charter flight for its stranded citizens here on 22nd June. They had many instructions ie payment for ticket had to be made in Kathmandu [Our student's family paid and we will reimburse ] PCR test to be conducted not more than 72 hours before leaving [test was done today] it had to be negative. Flight leaves from Islamabad at 7am. So Sunita Mahajan will leave the hostel by private car at midnight on Sunday with a driver [whose test we also had done today]drive straight to airport , and hopefully take off.

Our Indian boy from Kashmir will cross border on 23rd [border being especially opened for one day only ] will have to go straight into a bus. All Indians crossing will be transported to their respective States by Govt transport. Once he gets to Srinagar he will be put into quarantine for which he has to pay INR2000 per day. For 14 days. He was staricken because his family, like most others, has been financially devastated by the lockdown since August . As a special case we decided to assist with cost of quarantine. He has to have PCR also. These tests cost Rs 9000 here in Lahore.

The student Musawer Mir is very very nervous about returning to Srinagar in this manner, but it has to be done and I am sure there will be other students crossing the border on that day.

We are just grateful that they have been safe from Covid 19, due to extreme care taken in the hostel.

We are now looking at possible means of return for the 3 Afghan students and 2 Bhutanese students.

Kavi Air from Kabul has announced flights from July1,, but this is totally uncertain ... neither government is clearing the scheduled flights right now.

The travel agent has suggest Qatar Air which has commenced it's flights from end June with a connection to Kabul. The ticket is twice as much as a flight to Europe ONE way. It may be our only option, we are waiting to see what happens with Kavi Air.

Bhutan students can only return once Thai Airways starts their flights to Lahore . Bhutan govt has a charter flight for its citizens from Singapore but there is no flight leaving from Lahore. going East at all.

Until then they are our guests !!

Our two in quarantine back in Colombo are doing OK!

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Warmest regards
Prof Salima Hashmi,
SAF- Pakistan Chairperson, & UMISAA Director