Special flight carrying first batch of Pakistani students from Bishkek arrives in Lahore
ISLAMABAD: A special flight carrying 140 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek landed at Lahore airport late Saturday night. The city suffered violent attacks against foreigners this week after a conflict broke out between residents and migrants, leading to calls for evacuation.
This was the first Pakistani student to arrive in Pakistan after riots broke out in Bishkek on Friday night. A video of a scuffle between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral, with an enraged mob targeting the city’s medical school dormitories and vacation rentals for international students, including Pakistanis.
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.
Speaking to Arab News on Saturday, many students reported being advised by the Pakistani embassy to stay indoors despite running out of food and water. Some people expressed fear that the violence would resume in the evening and asked authorities to evacuate.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi welcomed the first batch of Pakistani students arriving at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and asked them about their safety, according to a statement from the Ministry of Interior.
“Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi questioned the students about the tragic incident in Bishkek and asked them about their problems,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Ministry of Interior announced that 140 students had arrived from Kyrgyzstan, while Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News reported that 180 students had arrived in Lahore.
Naqvi said Pakistani students living in Kyrgyzstan are “children of the nation” and vowed to provide free transportation to students from cities other than Lahore.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed Deputy Prime Minister Ishak Dar and another cabinet minister, Amir Maqam, to visit Bishkek on Sunday to address the situation on the ground, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday evening. did.
Two Pakistani officials will meet with senior government officials in the Kyrgyz capital to ensure treatment for the injured students and discuss arrangements for their return home.
“Our primary concern is the safe return of Pakistani students,” Naqvi said. “If it is God’s will, tomorrow’s additional flights will bring more students home. [Sunday]”
Ambassador Hasan Zaigham of Kyrgyzstan announced on Saturday that five Pakistani medical students were injured in the mob attack. One student was admitted to a local hospital with a jaw injury, but the other four were given first aid and released.
“Not a single Pakistani was killed or raped in the violence,” he told Arab News by phone, dispelling rumors circulating on social media. “The situation is now under control as Bishkek authorities have dispersed all criminals.”
Separately, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it had summoned Kyrgyzstan’s top diplomat and handed him a protest document following the violence against Pakistani students in Bishkek.
“The Kyrgyzstan temporary representative was under the impression that the Kyrgyz government should take all possible measures to ensure the safety of Pakistani students and citizens,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
In a statement, Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Health confirmed that four Pakistanis were given first aid and discharged from hospital, while one person was still being treated for injuries.
