ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Wednesday, while slamming the government for its policies during the coronavirus pandemic, has asked the government to resolve problems being faced by the overseas Pakistanis immediately.

Addressing a press conference here, he said, "Whosoever takes up the mantle of the Prime Minister (PM) is tasked with the responsibility of representing the entire country," lamenting, "the federal government has its own stance and the provinces their own."

"What message are the people getting from the chaotic manner in which the country is being managed by the state elements," he said, and added that if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government under PM Imran Khan was not capable of resolving the current crisis the PM along with his cabinet must resign.

He said that looking at the neighbouring countries, it was important that Pakistan formed a national consensus.

He said that unfortunately the current regime was unable to even manage the country's affairs, and had no capacity to create national consensus on various national challenges.

Highlighting the plight of overseas Pakistanis, he said they were in dire need of the government's assistance. "When a person dies abroad, no one helps them in transporting the dead bodies to the hospitals."

"If overseas Pakistanis want to bring back the dead bodies of their loved ones, the government should have provided them all the assistance but unfortunately they are not receiving any assistance from the government and this is a condemnable act," he said.

The consulates are not ready to contact the Pakistanis living abroad, he claimed.

"People will knock on the door of their consulates; where else will they go? But the consulates have closed their doors to the people, and have failed to provide relief to the overseas Pakistanis."

Fazl said his party supported all the demands of the overseas Pakistanis and wanted the government to pay attention to their issues, which they had failed to resolve so far.

"The JUI-F wants to bring overseas Pakistanis issue to the state's attention over which the incumbent government has become a symbol of incompetence."

The JUI-F chief said the bodies of coronavirus patients were not being handed over to the heirs. "No evidence suggests that coronavirus is transmitted from the deceased," he said. "Even doctors tell us that if you sleep, the virus becomes inactive, so if a person dies then the virus also dies with it," Maulana Fazl claimed.