Since February, Pakistani movie stars Sanam Saeed, Sarah Loren, Mohib Mirza, Shamoon Abbasi and Imam Said along with their team of 21 people have been stuck in Thailand following the shooting of “Ishrat Made in China”, which is the directorial debut of Mohib Mirza, due to flight restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak.
They have appealed to the Pakistani government to take action and make their return possible.
In an interview to Dawn, Sanam said, "From the flights on April 3-11, Bangkok is not on the list so we are officially stuck here until the embassy sorts out a flight. We're in touch with the ambassador. They are collecting a list of all Pakistanis stuck in Thailand and when the number is significant enough, they will fly us all back home. Apparently, the number has reached 100 or so already."
"Meanwhile, the cast and crew are safe and in self-isolation at our hotel. But resources are running out," she continued.
In a video message, Shamoon briefed the online audience on their situation and assured his fans that they will take all necessary precautions as soon as they come back.
"We request the Foreign Ministry Office, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Asad Umer to please focus on bringing us back home, or create a way through which we can travel safely. We want to come back. Regardless of what the situation is, it is our country - our families are there. I speak on behalf of the other 100 Pakistanis stuck here too. Please help us out," the actor said in a video message.
The Pakistani government recently announced the start of a week-long repatriation flight programme starting Saturday to bring back their nationals stranded overseas because of travel restrictions. However, the list of countries mentioned did not include Thailand.
In Pakistan, the death toll from coronavirus has reached 40; 2,696 are reported to have contracted the disease so far.