540 Pakistani students will arrive home from Kyrgyzstan today: FM Ishaq Dar

LAHORE: During a press conference in Lahore, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said 540 Pakistani students will arrive in Pakistan on Sunday (today) through three commercial flights. 

Earlier, PM Office Media Wing said, on the instruction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a special plane will bring back 130 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan on Sunday night.

Today, Prime Minister Shehbaz contacted the Pakistani Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Hassan Ali Zaigham, and directed him to make necessary arrangements for a special flight being sent to Bishkek this evening to bring back Pakistani students.

At the instructions of the prime minister, the government of Pakistan will bear all the expenses of the special plane, the press release said.

According to sources, two more flights will bring Pakistani students from Central Asian Country tomorrow.

The prime minister directed keeping continuous contact with all the students and their families, emphasizing that the return of injured students should be a priority. He further asked to bring back those students whose families were residing with them in Kyrgyzstan on an urgent basis, the PM Office said in a press release.

READ MORE: Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kyrgyzstan ‘cancelled’ as students await help

According to Kyrgyz authorities, the situation was under control and no new incidents of violence took place in the last two days. Security measures had been enhanced and the foreign students including Pakistanis were safe, the statement reads.

The prime minister directed that despite the return of normalcy in Bishkek, those students should be facilitated who wanted to return to Pakistan. The ambassador of Pakistan Zaigham apprised the prime minister of his meeting with the Kyrgyz deputy foreign minister.

180 students have already returned from Kyrgyzstan on Sunday via commercial flights. Interior Minister Moh­sin Naqvi along with senior officials received them at Allama Iqbal Internatio­nal Airport.