ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on Thursday, welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision not to deport foreign workers.

Speaking at a video-link meeting with the ambassador and the officials from the Pakistan embassy in Saudi Arabia, the FM said he would personally thank his Saudi counterpart through a letter for taking this decision.

He said the coronavirus pandemic had hit more than 209 countries and states worldwide. The FM said the number of deaths in Pakistan was low compared to many other nations. The minister said that 30, 000 Pakistanis from Saudi Arabia wanted to return and “we are making arrangements for their repatriation.”

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz informed that 150 Pakistanis had been affected by coronavirus pandemic in Saudi Arabia, with 30 losing their lives.

Ejaz said Saudi government was taking strict measures, including lockdown, to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country and was ensuring best medical facilities to the affected.