THE UK’s decision to keep Pakistan on its travel red list has come as a blow to citizens. Not only do many feel despondent about being unable to travel to and from the UK, there is also a growing sense that the decision to keep Pakistan on the red list while India moved to the amber list is rooted more in politics than in science. The announcement came as a shock to British Pakistanis, as the cost of hotel quarantine if they wish to travel back to the UK has also been increased by £500. Labour MPs in the UK have called out the UK government for a decision they say is discriminatory and biased against Pakistan. Several have pointed out that India’s Covid-19 infections per 100,000 people is higher than the rate in Pakistan. MP Yasmin Qureshi went so far as to say the decision is based on economic and trade partnerships instead of science, as India is a big trade partner of the UK compared to Pakistan.

The UK government adjusts its traffic light travel system based on multiple factors, and to understand its decision it is important to see where Pakistan lies on that spectrum. It considers vaccination rates, infection rates, the presence of variants and access to scientific data. At the moment, Pakistan’s fully vaccinated citizens make up just over 2pc of the population. Although new infections overall are lower than most countries in the region, recent weeks have seen a spike in cases in Karachi with a lockdown underway in the city. In comparison, India has vaccinated about 8pc of its population, but its daily positive cases this week have averaged at over 40,000. It has also reported over 80 cases of the Delta-plus variant. While it makes sense for the UK to have shifted the UAE and Qatar to the amber list, as their vaccination rates are even higher than the UK’s, the decision to remove India from the red list does reek of preferential treatment. The Pakistan high commissioner has taken up Pakistan’s case with the UK government and will aim to persuade British authorities to change their minds by re-examining the numbers. But in the meanwhile, our authorities should realise that this formula will be applied till our vaccination rates don’t pick up. Though the government is hitting new daily jab targets, it must maintain the momentum and ensure that the process of vaccine procurement, availability and awareness does not hit snags.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2021