Some countries left their citizens stuck in China, India evacuated them: PM

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday, he took an indirect dig at Pakistan, without naming the country. He said that at a time when "few countries" had left their citizens amid rising cases of Coronavirus in China, India not only brought back its citizens but also helped other nations. "At a time when some countries had left their citizens amid increasing cases of coronavirus in China, India brought back every Indian trapped in China. And not only of India, but we also brought back citizens of many other countries from there," PM Modi said.

ऐसे समय में जब कुछ देशों ने अपने नागरिकों को चीन में बढ़ते कोरोना के बीच छोड़ दिया था, तब भारत, चीन में फंसे हर भारतीय को वापस लेकर आया।

और सिर्फ भारत के ही नहीं, हम कई दूसरे देशों के नागरिकों को भी वहां से वापस निकालकर लाए: PM#LargestVaccineDrive

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 16, 2021

The PM was referring to the incident in January last year when Pakistan government decided not to evacuate its citizens from the coronavirus-hit Wuhan city to show "solidarity" with its all-weather ally China. Special Assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had said that Pakistan would not to evacuate its nationals from China in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Moreover, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar had said that India had offered to 'bring back all the people in our neighbourhood', including Pakistani students from the Wuhan, but Imran Khan-led country refused.