Pakistan on Saturday resumed international flight operations in the country, after months of a suspension imposed to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
The government "is pleased to authorize international flight operations to and from Pakistan from all international airports from June 20," Abdul Satttar Khokhar, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement late Friday.
 The permissions may be subject to restrictions from time to time based on the evolving Covid-19 scenario and implementation of health protocols. Flights will remain suspended at two airports in the southern province of Balochistan that include Gwadar and Turbat, the statement said.
The decision was taken to expedite the process of bringing back tens of thousands of Pakistanis stuck abroad, Moeed Yusuf, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security told media ahead of the decision. Pakistan had suspended international flights in March to control the spread of coronavirus in the country.
 The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases rose to 171,664 on Saturday, and related deaths reached 3,382. At least 6,600 new cases and 153 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed.
Hospitals in Pakistan are struggling to cope with overwhelming coronavirus infections as they are running out of beds, even though the country is still at least a month away from the projected peak of the pandemic.
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