Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar Said On Wednesday, the country repatriated more than 3,000 Pakistani students. from Kyrgyzstan in the past week amid continued attacks by insurgents. The program covers international students, including Pakistani students, in Kyrgyzstan. The number of Pakistani students returning home from Kyrgyzstan is expected to exceed 4,000 by Thursday.
International students, including Pakistanis, target A look at the mob attacks that began on May 17 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where over 12,000 Pakistani students studied. The mob attack was sparked by a video on May 13 depicting a fight between local and international students.
According to Kyrgyz News Agency 24.kg, Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Health claimed that 29 people were injured in the mob attack. Kyrgyz police said hundreds of Kyrgyz nationals attacked a building housing international students in Bishkek and the military was called in to quell the violence. The Pakistani embassy in Bishkek said there were no fatalities as a result of the violence.
Dar said a commission of inquiry will be set up to investigate the causes of the mob attack by meeting with stakeholders and assessing how the Pakistani embassy responded to the incident. The investigation committee must report its findings within two weeks. Dar also called on Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister, Janebek Kurbayev, to take immediate action against those responsible for the attack on the Pakistani students on May 20.
Following this incident, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov said in an official statement that he would not tolerate mob attacks in Kyrgyzstan and that foreign students and workers were a valuable contribution. Japarov also said that Kyrgyzstan’s Intelligence agencies arrested the perpetrators of the attack.
Relatedly, on May 18, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Kyrgyz ambassador to Pakistan due to concerns about violence against Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan. A day earlier, at least 29 people from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt were injured in mob violence against foreigners in Bishkek. “The Kyrgyz government must take all possible measures to ensure the safety and security of Pakistani students and citizens residing in the Kyrgyz Republic,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. The Pakistani embassy has also set up an emergency helpline to help students and their families evacuate safely.
