THE embassy of Pakistan in Australia has agreed to arrange for the body of a Pakistani refugee who drowned this week in Papua New Guinea to be repatriated.

Last week, Kamil Hussain drowned at a swimming area on Manus Island, where Australia has an asylum seeker processing centre.

Papua New Guinea’s Immigration

Department had said it would not repatriate Mr Hussain’s body, and that he would instead be buried on Manus on Friday.

But after a meeting on Friday morning, PNG authorities relented and gave the refugees on Manus one week to arrange to send Mr Hussain’s body back to his family in Pakistan.

PNG authorities also said neither they nor Australian authorities would take any responsibility for sending the man’s body back to Pakistan. But in a letter, the Pakistan embassy said it would arrange for Mr Hussain’s body to be returned.

The embassy also notified PNG Immigration that it would cover the costs associated with the repatriation and any costs associated with maintaining the body on Manus Island.

An Australian refugee advocate, Ian Rintoul, said the embassy’s offer came as a huge relief for refugees he had spoken to on Manus Island who were unsure how they would arrange for the repatriation.