LAHAD DATU, March 6 — A total 17 National Quran Tahfiz Associations Coalition (National PINTA) delegation members who were stranded for almost a week in Pakistan were expected to arrive home tomorrow.

The 17, who were scheduled to arrive home on February 28 after a working visit to Wifaqul Madaris Pakistan, were stranded after Pakistan closed its air space temporarily due to tensions with India after a terrorist suicide attack in India-controlled Kashmir on February 14.

Nevertheless, the Pakistani air space was opened fully since Monday.

Sabah National PINTA chairman, Samsuali Marulla, said they would return separately to Malaysia aboard Emirates’ flights.

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‘‘Thank god, we are now in Karachi, all the members of the delegation are safe and in good health. Yesterday, we left Lahore (It is learnt that the Lahore Airport is still not operational), via a 16-hour Green lane Express train journey.

“As of this afternoon, five delegate members had left for Dubai on an Emirates Airline while 10 will board the next flight to Dubai at 7.35pm and another two will take the flight at 10.50pm. All of us, broken up into two groups, will return to Malaysia tomorrow,’’ he said.

Contacted by Bernama via the WhatsApp application today, he said the Malaysian Embassy in Islamabad had advised that the National PINTA delegate members sought a flight that did not cross the air space under conflict and used a neutral aircraft.

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The visit, starting on February 23, and headed by National PINTA president Ustaz Zahid Mahmood, was aimed at directly studying the tahfiz education system in Pakistan to be absorbed into the National Tahfiz Education Policy (DPTN).

In the meantime, Samsuali said the delegate members had put up at a hotel in the Lahore area which was closely controlled by the Pakistani army before moving to the Jamiah Islamiah Raiwind Lahore and subsequently to the Wifaqul Madris Office in Karachi.

“Wifaqul Madaris helped to look after our safety here, providing accommodations and food. We were also helped by locals,’’ he said.

As of yesterday, it was reported that 44 Malaysians were still stranded in Pakistan since February 27.

The tensions between the two nuclear powered New Delhi and Islamabad worsened since the attack of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama, India on Feb 14, killing over 40 people and injuring scores more. — Bernama