Pakistan's top envoy to the UK Moazzam Ahmad Khan expressed hope that his country would soon be off the red list in a media briefing with Pakistani journalists on Tuesday.

According to the release it issued, Pakistan High Commissioner spoke on increased exports from Pakistan to the UK market and record remittances sent from the community to Pakistan in his briefing.

According to a report in Dawn filed by their London correspondent Atika Rehman, the High Commissioner spoke about his mission's engagement with the British authorities regarding Pakistan's placement on the red list.

Travelers to the UK from red list countries have to quarantine for 10 days in approved hotels and book two Covid tests which they have to take on day 2 and day 8.

India was recently taken off the red list and moved to the amber list but Pakistan was not. It remains on the red list along with other South Asian nations Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal; Afghanistan is also on the list.

Pakistan remaining on the red list, despite allegations that the UK made the decision without any scientific data, has caused uproar in Pakistan with several UK lawmakers calling the decision one based on politics, not evidence.

Pakistan's envoy to the UK said in his briefing he wanted UK authorities to re-examine the data but dismissed reports that there was a communication between the two countries.

“There is no communication gap, we are constantly in touch with them. In fact, I had an opportunity to speak to Prime Minister [Boris] Johnson and brought it to his attention that keeping Pakistan on the red list has left both people in Pakistan and the diaspora frustrated and disappointed. He said ‘we are looking into it’,” Dawn quoted Khan as saying.

Meanwhile the UK High Commission in Islamabad tweeted on Monday that the decision to keep Pakistan on the red list was based on data and hoped for normal travel to resume again soon -- without specifying a time period.