For Khalilur Rehman life was difficult even three months ago, just before Covid-19 made things harder for him. A foreman in a private company in Dubai, Rehman was already struggling to make ends meet and feed his family back in Sialkot.

“It had been getting tougher. Projects were not coming through and we often had to sit in our rooms just waiting for work,” says Rehman, who came to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ten years ago.

The worst happened last month when the UAE government, in a bid to implement measures to contain the economic crisis brought about by Covid-19, regulated the employer-employee relations and allowed firms to slash salaries, send employees on paid or unpaid leave or lay them off. This was when Rehman lost his job. Without a salary, it was difficult to survive even when the company was bearing the cost of accommodation.

According to estimates provided by the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai, around 10,000 Pakistanis in the UAE have lost their jobs in the ongoing crisis. Over 40,000 are unable to leave the UAE after air travel was stopped across the world to halt the spread of coronavirus.

The UAE is home to 1.2 million Pakistanis out of which over 400,000 are based in Dubai alone. Pakistanis make up around 13 percent of Dubai’s population and are the third largest ethnic group in the emirate (after Indians and Emiratis).

Most Pakistanis work in the transport sector. Due to the current lockdown and steps taken by the UAE government, many of these businesses have been badly affected.

With no jobs, a majority of these people is fast running out of cash and food, and are unable to pay for accommodation. Naturally, they are desperate to go back home. The UAE government has announced an extension of all visas and an exemption from fines for overstaying.

“The Pakistan consulate asked us to fill an online form and mention the reason we want to go home,” says Rehman. “I have already done that but it’s been three weeks and I have not heard back from them.”

Pakistan’s Consul General to the UAE, Ahmed Amjad Ali, says that a majority of Pakistanis in the UAE work in the construction, transport and the security services sector.

Fayyaz Ali is among the 40,000 Pakistanis who have registered with the consulate over the past three weeks to take them home. The Pakistani government has announced a flight schedule till April 28 that will bring back [some of the] stranded citizens. Four flights from the UAE have so far taken nearly 2,000 people to Pakistan.

Ali, who had recently arrived in Dubai in search of better prospects, says he is under much mental pressure and is homesick. “My visit visa has already expired and I have no money or a place to stay.”

Despite being low on cash, Ali has to shell out another AED 1,650 to buy a very costly one-way ticket to Lahore. “I’ve been told that my current ticket will be refunded once I reach Lahore but till then where do I get the money to buy a new ticket from. The prime minister must look into this matter.”

Out of the thousands of applications received, the consulate is sorting out priority travellers. “First, we will be sending those whose visas have expired, the sick, those with emergencies, and [dead] bodies,” says the consul general.

For the needy Pakistanis, the consulate and the Pakistan Association in Dubai are distributing essential food items enough to last a couple of weeks. Several other initiatives have also been taken up at the community level. A few Pakistani restaurants are collaborating and supplying free meals to those who need them.

“Some may survive the next few months but what about the families surviving on daily wages?” asks Talha Ahmed Khan, who set up the initiative called Rizq – Feed the Need. Under the initiative, restaurants provide a free warm meal to needy families in their areas. Chicken and vegetables dishes, rice and roti, and biryani are distributed daily. Over 300 meals have been provided to families in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman just four days into the initiative.

Despite assurances by officials, Pakistanis are getting impatient, resorting to violations of the curfew and crowding the consulate in Dubai every day. Videos on social media show Pakistanis protesting, saying they want to be sent back, not provided food assistance.

Earlier this month, the UAE government announced that it will review ties with countries that refuse to receive their citizens who want to go back – a clear indication that such protests are unwelcome.

“A flight schedule has already been made and we are trying our best to accommodate the maximum we can at this point. Some things are not in our hands,” says the consul general.

Till then, he adds, people have to be patient.

The writer is a Dubai-based journalist and a former city editor at Khaleej Times. She tweets at @asmaalizain