Malaysia has announced a travel ban on Pakistan and other South Asian countries in consideration of the rising number of coronavirus cases.
A notification about the ban on citizens from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal from 8 May onwards was issued by the Malaysian immigration authorities.
Senior Malaysia Minister, Ismail Yakoob, announced the conditions of the ban saying, “The travel restriction imposed on citizens of these countries involved all categories holding long-term social visit passes, business travelers and for social visits”.
ALSO READ
Pakistan Breaks Records for Kinnow Exports This Year
There are, however, some exemptions from the ban.
Exemptions are, however, given to holders of diplomatic passports and officials as stated in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. This category will be considered to enter Malaysia using the existing standard operating procedures.
Following the ban, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) halted its flight operations to Malaysia.
ALSO READ
Punjab Govt Finds A Solution to End Unannounced Load Shedding
PIA currently operates a weekly flight to Kuala Lumpur. Last month, Malaysia had banned flights from India due to an unprecedented surge in cases in the second wave of the pandemic.
The Malaysian Ministry of Transport had announced that it will halt flights from India and will implement strict controls for ships from India docking at Malaysian ports.
