While coronavirus death toll crosses 600 in China, Pak maintains it won't evacuate nationals from Wuhan

While nations continue to evacuate their citizens from coronavirus-hit Wuhan, Pakistan has refused to get its students back from China.

In a recent video, Pakistani students who are stranded at the Wuhan University accused their health ministry of lying.

They said that their leaders are telling them that evacuation is not allowed even while other countries are doing so.

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Foreign students who are leaving China have also urged Pakistan to rescue its citizens.

Even after accepting that its citizens have been infected with coronavirus, Islamabad said that China is taking care of all those who are in Wuhan, including Pak students.

Just a week back Pak President Arif Alvi took to Twitter and quoted the Prophet on how to tackle the situation in the event of an outbreak, reiterating Pakistan's resolve not to bring back its nationals from Wuhan.

"Prophet's directions regarding disease outbreaks are a good guide even 2day “If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it, but if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place” (Bukhari & Muslim) Let us help those stuck there," his tweet read.

Meanwhile, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday told the Rajya Sabha that India had offered evacuation of citizens of all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, from Wuhan.

"Regarding the question on Pakistan, at the time when our two flights were going, we had told all the students and the larger community in Wuhan that we were prepared not only to bring back Indians stuck in Wuhan but bring back all the people of our neighbouring countries who would like to come back," Jaishankar told the Upper House of Parliament today.

"This was an offer which was made to all our neighbours. But of them, 7 nationals of Maldives chose to avail of the offer, I would like the honourable members to know the offer was made to all the neighbouring countries," Jaishankar added.