2 BSF officials among 9 quarantined as Pakistani women test positive on their return via Attari

Two women who have got infected were among 41 Pakistani nationals who crossed the border on Thursday

As many as nine people, including the officials of the Border Security Force (BSF), customs and immigration departments, have been quarantined in Amritsar after two Pakistani women tested positive for Covid-19 on their return via Attari-Wagah border.

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The two women — Hameedan Bano (57) and her daughter Maida Rehman (32) — were among 41 Pakistani nationals who were allowed to return to their home country on Thursday. A special permission was granted to the 41 Pakistanis to cross over to the neighbouring country by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on the request of the Pakistan High Commission as the borders of the two countries have been sealed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have quarantined nine persons as a precautionary measure, though till now we don’t have any official information about the positive results of the two Pakistani women. We have learnt it through media. Those who have been quarantined include two officials each of BSF, customs, immigration and health departments,” said Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, deputy commissioner (DC), Amritsar. He said, “Out of the 41 Pakistani nationals, 19 had been staying in Amritsar. The two women had come from New Delhi in a taxi. The cab driver had returned to Delhi after dropping the duo at Attari border.”

As per the instructions of the MEA, all 41 people were screened at the Integrated Check Post (ICP), Attari by the staff of the health department before they were handed over to Pakistani Rangers by the BSF personnel.

“We had come to know about the positive results of the two women thorough BSF officials. We immediately alerted our senior officials in New Delhi about this and about the taxi driver who brought the duo at Attari,” said a senior Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) official posted at the ICP. He said, “The health department has also quarantined our driver who drove the bus carrying the 41 Pakistanis from the ICP to the joint check post (JCP) near the zero line.” This is the second such case. On March 30, two of the five Pakistani nationals who had been on medical visas in India were found to be positive on their return.

Rural health pharmacists protest for PPE kits

Meanwhile, the Rural Health Pharmacists Association of Amritsar held a protest outside Amritsar DC office on Saturday demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and N-95 masks. The union members said they have been deployed to conduct screening of passengers. They said two of their members were quarantined after they conducted the screening of the two Pakistani women.