Ambassador Tipu cites bus shortages, difficulties in arranging departures; makes special appeal to Pakistanis in Qom
A woman walks on the street following an Israeli and U.S. strike on Gandhi Hotel Hospital, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2026.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, issued an appeal on Monday for Pakistani nationals in the country to register with the embassy immediately for repatriation, warning that securing transportation has become increasingly difficult amid the ongoing conflict in the region.
In a post on X, the ambassador said the embassy was facing mounting logistical hurdles in arranging departures. “It is getting very hard to find the buses due to ongoing challenges here,” he wrote. Calling on nationals who wish to return, Tipu requested them to register with the embassy immediately so that their departure may be planned without any further delay.
It is getting very hard to find the buses due to ongoing challenges here- apart from a range of other considerations. Therefore those of our nationals who wish to go to Pakistan , with our cooperation , are requested to kindly register with the Embassy immediately so that we can…
— Ambassador Mudassir (@AmbMudassir) March 8, 2026
“I particularly call on our nationals in Qom to cooperate with us in their immediate repatriation,” the ambassador wrote.
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The call comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East as the United States and Israel continue their strikes against Iran, with the Islamic Republic attacking US military bases in the region. On February 28, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level review meeting regarding the overall security situation in the country following the attacks. He subsequently directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take all necessary steps to ensure the safe repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in Iran.
Read More: Who is Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei?
Many Pakistanis, including students, pilgrims, tourists, and traders, have streamed home from Iran through the Taftan and Gwadar border crossings in Balochistan, while Pakistani missions in Saudi Arabia launched round-the-clock helplines and deployed teams at major airports to assist travellers as the conflict continues to spill into the wider Gulf region.
Iran has continued to fire missiles at Israel early Monday, in the name of the Islamic Republic’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected to succeed his slain father despite threats by the US and Israel to target him next.
