IAEA to give coronavirus testing equipment to Pakistan

Islamabad: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to provide Pakistan the equipment for testing of COVID-19 through use of nuclear-derived technique, the Foreign Office said on Friday.

“IAEA will provide Pakistan a Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR machine, bio-hazard safety cabinets, test kits and related consumer goods to help fight the novel coronavirus through the nuclear derived technique,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said here at a press briefing.
Spokesperson Farooqui said the embassy of Pakistan in Vienna was coordinating with IAEA for an early shipment.

She said the provision of equipment would augment Pakistan’s national capacity to conduct COVID-19 tests, which was crucial in containing the spread of the disease.
“Pakistan deeply values the contribution of IAEA and its leadership for helping the members states in their efforts to fight COVID-19 pandemic,” she added.
“We also acknowledge the generous contribution of the IAEA member states to boost scientific and technical capacities of other countries in combating this global crisis,” she said.

The FO spokesperson said Pakistan had a longstanding relationship with IAEA and as its founding member, would continue to benefit from its technical assistance from various fields including health, agriculture and energy besides contributing to Agency’s work of promoting peaceful use of nuclear technology.
On repatriation of stranded Pakistanis abroad amid COVID-19 pandemic, Farooqui said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its embassies and missions had launched a robust and round-the-clock outreach initiative to provide the overseas communities relief and assistance including food ration.

She said approximately 43,000 Pakistanis in different countries had desired to be brought back to Pakistan for which a comprehensive and phase repatriation plan from different countries was under way.
“So far 2,287 stranded Pakistanis have been repatriated through 12 special PIA flights from Doha, Dubai, Bangkok, Istanbul, London, Baku, Tashkent, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur,” she said.

The second phase initiated from April 14-18 through nine more special flights will bring back 2,000 Pakistani nationals including 474 from Saudi Arabia mostly Umrah pilgrims, 271 from Oman and 634 from United Arab Emirates, 270 from Japan and Thailand, 225 from Indonesia.
The special flights will land at the airports of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Faisalabad.