Last year in December, Kulsoom* became the first girl in her family to complete a doctorate. She was studying in a reputed university in Wuhan – the city where Covid-19 originated. She was all set to embark on her return journey to Pakistan on January 29 when the city was put in a lockdown.

“I went for dinner in a Muslim restaurant the night before they sealed off the city. Everything was normal. The next morning, I received messages from my supervisor, international students’ office, friends and even my telecommunication company telling me to stock groceries as the entire city was going to shut down in two hours,” she recalls.

Her visa was expiring on January 31. She immediately called the embassy of Pakistan in Beijing. The Chinese government’s decision to seal Wuhan was so sudden that even the embassy did not know what to do about it. They told her to wait for the immigration office’s policy. A few days later, China gave a two-month extension in visa to all foreigners whose visas were about to expire.

“It was my birthday on January 30. My family had planned a big party to celebrate my birthday and my PhD on my return from Wuhan. I was left to celebrate my birthday alone in my room.”

Although China has eased restrictions in Wuhan, the foreign students are still not allowed to leave their campuses. However, locals can go out in the city using a health code which they can get online.

Kulsoom knows at least 10 other students who graduated around the same time but could not travel to Pakistan because of the lockdown. They have made a WeChat group to stay connected and share updates.

One of the members of the group is 23-year-old Syed Saqlain Abbas. He was studying at Wuhan University and had graduated in mid January. He had planned to travel across China before leaving it.

“My return flight was on January 31. I had planned to visit Shanghai and Hangzhou but I could not go anywhere because of the virus. The flight got cancelled. I thought this would last till mid-February but now it is the end of April, and I am still here.”

Abbas says that some students from his university had contacted the embassy. The embassy told them that the government had not issued any directive so they could not help them. The students made a few videos and uploaded those on social media. After that the government announced it was $840 to each student in Wuhan. They received 3,500 yuan (Rs 81,011) in February.

Back home, his family had found a match for him. The nikah was scheduled after his return. That plan has also been postponed.

Farah* had completed her PhD in December. She was wrapping up her work and saying her final goodbyes when Wuhan was put in a lockdown.

The university gave her half her stipend for December as she was graduating. She has been using her savings for the past four months. The only financial aid she has received was the money from the government of Pakistan.

A lecturer at a public sector university in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Farah was on leave without pay. Without a salary and with the additional expense due to the lockdown eating up her savings, she’s worried.

She also had to pay cancellation charges for her flight from Beijing to Islamabad. Although PIA had announced a full refund on cancellation, she could not avail it as her flight was on schedule from Beijing. Meanwhile, she was in Wuhan which was in a lockdown.

The students are constantly in touch with the embassy. They understand the complexity of the situation but are now eager to get their message across to the government back home.

“I have filed a complaint on the citizen portal. My extended visa is expiring on April 27. I don’t know what will happen after that. The government is running special flight operations for stranded Pakistanis around the world. We are stuck here. They should help us too,” says Kulsoom.

Universities in China give graduating students a date by which they are to leave their hostel rooms. These students are living in their dormitories and have not been asked them to pay room rent or utility bills. But Kulsoom says that her university used to charge students for their rooms. They are now taking the same amount from her which is a burden.

“I am short on money. My supervisor offered financial help but I have some savings which I will use for now. I just hope I can buy my ticket to return home.”

The embassy has told her that they cannot provide her more money. It was a one-time help.

“They say the government has not made any policy for us so they cannot help us. Now Ramazan is approaching. The government has sent some food for us but no one in Wuhan has received it.”

Kulsoom says she feels ashamed of asking the authorities about the food. She was one of the twelve students in Wuhan who did not receive financial aid until the end of March – a month after most students received the money. Each of them made calls to the embassy dozens of time before the money was released.

The News on Sunday tried to reach the Pakistan embassy’s press and culture attaché, Hina Firdous, several times but she was not available.

— Names have been changed to protect identities

The writer is a PhD scholar at the Communication University of China. She tweets @tehreemazeem