Pakistanis in China asked to get registered with embassy

The Pakistan Embassy in Beijing has asked its citizens in the Asian giant to register themselves and their family members with it at the earliest as flight operations between the two countries, after a three-day hiatus, has resumed amid the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak.

Pakistan on January 31 had halted flights to and from China with immediate effect till February 2, a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak as a global health emergency, reports The Express Tribune.

In a statement on Monday, the Embassy said: "All Pakistani nationals residing in China are kindly requested to register themselves and their family members with the Embassy of Pakistan as early as possible."

They were also asked to provide complete details of all their family members including spouses and children during the registration process.

Following the resumption of flights, three flights arrived in Pakistan from China on Monday.

Last week, the federal government said it would not evacuate Pakistani citizens, mostly students, from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak which has so far killed 425 people in China.

Almost 500 Pakistanis are studying in various universities of Wuhan, which is in virtual lockdown, while the total number of Pakistani nationals in China is between 28,000 and 30,000.

It was confirmed last week that at least four Pakistani students tested positive for the mysterious pathogen.