Approximately 540 Pakistani students returned from Bishkek on commercial plane today – Deputy Prime Minister
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Ishaq Dar has announced that the government will repatriate about 540 Pakistani students from Bishkek after violent clashes in the city this Sunday led to evacuations. It was announced that three commercial flights had been arranged for the repatriation.
This comes after a frenzied mob attacked foreigners in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek on Friday. The attack began after a video of a scuffle between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral on social media, with enraged mobs targeting medical school dormitories in the city and vacation rentals for international students, including Pakistanis.
The first batch of around 130 Pakistani students arrived in Lahore late Saturday night. According to official statistics, around 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in various educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, of which nearly 6,000 live and study in Bishkek.
“Three special private flights have been arranged for today (Sunday) and 540 students will return home, compared to 130 who returned yesterday,” Dar told a press conference in Lahore.
“A special flight of Pakistan Air Force will also bring around 130 students. So far 50 students have registered to participate in this flight,” he added.
Mr. Dar said today, Sunday, that he met with Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister and assured him that the situation in the country was under control and that no new cases had occurred since Friday afternoon.
“Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister confirmed that 16 international students, including four to five Pakistani nationals, were injured in the incident and are receiving treatment,” Dar said.
He added that the Kyrgyz government has also strengthened security in student dormitories and assured that it is constantly monitoring the situation.
Early Saturday evening, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had instructed Dar and another cabinet minister, Amir Muqam, to visit Bishkek on Sunday to respond to the situation on the ground.
Dar said they did not travel to the country at the request of the Kyrgyz government, adding that Pakistan instead sent two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to carry out embassy duties.
“We were scheduled to leave for the Kyrgyz Republic today, but the Kyrgyz Republic’s foreign minister requested it.” [us] It is better not to come as it will give a false impression about the incident and anoint the opposition,” Dar said.
He said Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister categorically denied that a Pakistani student was killed in the clash.
“Their[Kyrgyzstan]foreign minister also said that they had arrested some of the culprits and promised that no one involved would be spared,” the deputy prime minister said.
Dar said that Pakistan’s foreign ministry had on Saturday summoned the Kyrgyzstan chargé d’affaires to the ministry for withdrawal over the current situation.
“that [violence] “The incident occurred due to clashes between students and international students from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Arab countries were targeted,” he said.
Dar said the Pakistani embassy has confirmed that the situation is no longer tense and that the injured Pakistanis are being provided with the best possible medical facilities.
Separately, Prime Minister Sharif, in a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Hasan Ali Zaigham, instructed the embassy to make necessary arrangements for special flights to bring back Pakistani students.
The prime minister said injured Pakistani students should be repatriated to Pakistan on priority.
“The Prime Minister also directed to ensure repatriation of family members residing in Kyrgyzstan along with Pakistani students,” the PMO said.
