Pakistan evacuates hundreds of students from Kyrgyz capital
Clashes break out between locals and foreigners near student accommodation
ISLAMABAD: More than 650 Pakistani students were being repatriated from Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Sunday, after clashes broke out between locals and foreigners near student accommodation in the capital Bishkek.
Four Pakistani students were injured overnight Friday when brawls erupted involving hundreds of students from different countries.
Students were ordered by authorities to stay indoors, students in the city told Pakistani media.
“Three special, commercial flights have been arranged,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a press conference in Islamabad.
“This was an attack on foreign students — not just Pakistani students. There were also Indian, Bangladeshi and Arab students.”
Around 130 students arrived in Pakistan on Saturday, with 540 more due to arrive on Sunday.
The government summoned the Kyrgyzstan charge d’affaires to the foreign office on Saturday to provide details on the clashes.
The “disturbances” followed an incident earlier in the week when foreign students reported being harassed in their dormitories by “unidentified persons”, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyrgyzstan said in a statement published online.
Local media said more than 11,000 Pakistanis are studying across Kyrgyzstan, which is particularly popular with medical students.