“We are in a no-win situation.”
A family flew to Pakistan for a wedding but before they could return to the UK, the country was placed under lockdown, leaving them stranded.
Razia Hadait, aged 56, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, explained that she and her family have been stranded for almost a month.
She went to Mirpur in February for her son’s wedding and was due to fly back on March 27, 2020.
But days before her family’s return journey with Emirates, the UK was placed under lockdown and all flights were cancelled.
Mrs Hadait went with her husband, daughter and two sons and was later joined by her sister.
She claimed that her family received no help despite repeated pleas.
They said flights home would cost almost £5,000 and alleged fare prices had been increased, while they were running out of money.
Mrs Hadait said: “It’s very stressful.
“Temperatures are rising. We are going to struggle and we can’t access money because everything is closed.
“There’s six of us, we are going to pay nearly £5,000, we can’t get anyone to send money and the exchanges are closed. My husband, son and I all run our own businesses and this is really worrying.
“Our cars are also on the road and bills are piling up at home.
“My daughter is doing her masters and this is impacting her studies. We have two cats too which my brother in law and neighbour have been feeding.
“We are in a no-win situation.”
Mrs Hadait runs a company which supports the families of offenders.
The wedding took place on March 8 but before they could return home, a lockdown was imposed and flights were cancelled.
She said: “We are only allowed to go to shops for food and you can’t have more than two people in a car. Everything closed, the only things that are open are banks and food shops.”
Mrs Hadait is currently staying with her in-laws. She went on to say her family were forced to “sit and wait” while they searched for answers.
They have contacted Emirates, the Pakistani Commissioner, Birmingham MPs and others.
She added: “We were told to contact our travel agent who is also stuck in Pakistan. Now we are waiting to find out about the next available flights after April 21.
“It could be May. We want the authorities to bring us home and stop these airlines charging these extortionate prices.”
According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it has helped more than 6,000 people return from Pakistan on 17 commercial flights operated by PIA.
Birmingham Mail reported that the priority is on the most vulnerable people.
A spokesperson said:
“We know it’s a difficult time for many British travellers abroad – especially those with challenging circumstances.
“Our consular teams are doing everything they can, especially for those in difficulty, to keep Brits informed on the latest developments and help them return – on commercial flights where they are still available or special charter flights as well.
“We’ll continue working around-the-clock to bring people home.”
Loading ...