Pakistan making preparations to begin evacuating its citizens from Ukraine
Pakistan has begun preparations to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced on Friday.
The foreign minister assured that authorities in Pakistan were in touch with Pakistan’s embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
“I spoke to the ambassador and he told me that all our children are safe so far,” the minister said, assuring that their evacuation would be completed soon.
There are roughly 3,000 Pakistani students in Ukraine.
Pakistani students in Ukraine have been urging Prime Minister Imran Khan to arrange the urgent evacuation from Ukraine.
Pakistani students advised going to Ternopil and Lviv
The Foreign Office has advised all Pakistani students in Ukraine to reach the city of Ternopil or Lviv as soon as possible for evacuation.
Pakistan’s embassy had been shifted from Kyiv to Ternopil after the situation worsened in the capital of Kyiv following the Russian attack in Ukraine.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ukraine Dr Noel Israel Khokhar says the government is working on the safe evacuation of all Pakistan nationals stranded in Ukraine.
Pakistan’s embassy in Ukraine advised the Pakistani students currently stranded in Ukraine to make their way to the eastern town of Ternopil, about 360km from Kyiv, or to Lviv so that they could be evacuated to Poland. The embassy has set up facilitation centers at Lviv and Ternopil railway stations.
“All Pakistani students in Ukraine are advised to reach Ternopil as soon as possible for evacuation,” reads a Pakistani foreign ministry statement.
Pakistan’s embassies in Poland, Romania and Hungary are fully alert to assist the students and facilitate visa-free entry (to nearby European countries), stay, food, travel to Pakistan, officials said.
The Embassy of Pakistan Ukraine has so far evacuated 35 Pakistani students to Poland. They have reached the camp on the Polish side of the border. The Embassy of Pakistan Poland is making arrangements for their transportation to Warsaw.
Students have been asked to contact at these numbers with the embassy: +380681734727, +380632288874, +380979335992
PIA chief Arshad Malik also held talks with Ambassador Noel to discuss options to evacuate the Pakistani students stranded in Ukraine. Malik said that currently the airspace of Ukraine was closed but PIA is discussing possibilities to evacuate students.