Pakistan citizens stranded in Syria return home safely

ISLAMABAD: In a welcoming move,  318 Pakistani citizens stranded in Syria because of the dire circumstances have been airlifted back home. These repatriated Pakistanis traveled from Syria to Beirut and finally arrived in Pakistan via chartered flight.

Ahsan Iqbal, the federal minister for planning, development, and special initiatives, received the homecoming flight at Islamabad International Airport and congratulated the returnees on being back home safely; he also thanked the Prime Minister of Lebanon for lending assistance to facilitate the repatriation process.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar guided the repatriation. To this end, the Pakistan Embassy in Damascus played a significant role, with the journey to the Syrian border by the Pakistanis led in person by Deputy Head of Mission in Syria Umar Hayat. Deputy Head of Mission in Beirut, Nawab Adil, received back their fellow citizens in Lebanon.

In a statement, the prime minister said the safe evacuation of Pakistani nationals from Syria was a top priority of the government.

Additionally, the PM appreciated the prompt action taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pakistani embassies in Syria and Lebanon, and the NDMA authorities in ensuring the safe evacuation of Pakistani citizens, state-owned Radio Pakistan reported.

He also expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, whose government provided all possible cooperation and assistance for the evacuation of Pakistanis via Beirut.

Earlier, a first batch of 81 Pakistani nationals, including a group of pilgrims, made it back to the Lahore border via Lebanon after being stranded in Syria. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself had reached out to his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati for immediate assistance in evacuating stranded Pakistani nationals from Syria.

The successful repatriation of the yet-improved Pakistanis is a testimony to the government’s efforts in the successful repatriation of its citizens during a crisis.