Special PIA flight to bring back 113 illegal immigrants from Malaysia

A special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will bring back 113 illegal Pakistani immigrants from Malaysia as part of the country's voluntary repatriation amnesty scheme. Foreign Office said in a statement that on the directives of the government of Pakistan, a special PIA flight has been arranged to bring illegal Pakistani immigrants from Malaysia on Tuesday.

The government of Malaysia introduced a Back4good (B4G) Amnesty Scheme to facilitate voluntary repatriation to countries of origin starting from 1 August 2019 and ending on 31 December 2019.

As a result of extensive efforts by the High Commission of Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur, it stated that over 8,000 Pakistanis have returned home safely under this amnesty scheme, without facing detention or fines. Over the past five months, it added that the Pakistan High Commission issued 1,833 Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) to the returnees for their expeditious repatriation to Pakistan.

"The welfare of overseas Pakistanis is a priority of the government of Pakistan," it stated, adding that the arrangement of special flight to bring Pakistani nationals back from Malaysia in safety is another landmark step, consistent with the Prime Minister's directions about the welfare of Pakistani nationals. In a statement, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari said that the special PIA flight will bring back 113 illegal Pakistani immigrants, adding that bringing its citizens back from Malaysia is an important decision of the government of Pakistan. He further said that the welfare of overseas Pakistanis is a priority of the incumbent government.