LAHORE: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Sunday that four flights, including a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Airbus, will bring back over 500 students from Kyrgyzstan after mobs attacked foreign students including Pakistanis.
He also confirmed that no Pakistani student died in the violence.
Dar, addressing the media alongside Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Federal Minister Engr Amir Muqam, informed that 540 students are expected to return today through the special flights.
The FM also corroborated that the total number of repatriated students from Bishkek would reach 670 after today’s special flights.
The foreign minister said that three flights are fully booked, however, the additional PAF Airbus is still open for bookings.
“Around 50 students have let the embassy and wish to take this flight,” he added.
He further stated that students who wish to return to Pakistan can access the 24-hour hotlines to get listed on the special flights.
Around 140 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, arrived at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport last night (Saturday) following mob violence that targeted international students, including Pakistani nationals.
Dar relayed a statement from the Kyrgyz foreign minister, indicating that 16 foreign students, including four to five Pakistanis, had sustained injuries.
The foreign minister said his Kyrgyz counterpart assured him that he, the president, and the cabinet chair were monitoring the situation and that it is completely “under control,” with no further incidents reported on Saturday.
Read Families on pins and needles as Bishkek riots rage on
International students were encouraged to engage in dialogue with Kyrgyz students, as stated by Dar, who quoted the Kyrgyz foreign minister.
Dar highlighted that opposition parties in Kyrgyzstan often criticize foreign students. “He [Kyrgyz FM] emphasized, ‘We highly value you as a brother country,’ but they [opposition] speak against government policies,” the FM remarked.
Regarding online misinformation, Dar quoted his counterpart, saying, “Paid bloggers and social media activists; we don’t know what their agenda is.”
Dar reiterated the Kyrgyz foreign minister’s assurance that no Pakistani students had been killed.
“The foreign minister assured me categorically that absolute lies were posted on social media. He guaranteed, ‘Not a single Pakistani student has died.'”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had instructed his deputy, Dar, and Federal Minister on Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam to travel to Bishkek on Sunday (today).
Dar said ministerial visits were cancelled upon assurances from Kyrgyz “senior leadership” that the situation is under control, emphasizing respect for diplomatic relations with the ‘brotherly state’.
Furthermore, Dar addressed concerns over the authenticity of distressing images circulating online, asserting that the situation is under control with enhanced security measures.
Muqam emphasized the importance of preserving students’ academic pursuits, stressing against politicizing the issue.
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