Pakistani students stranded in Ukraine to be evacuated to Poland
Students told to travel to the western cities of Lviv and Ternopil by train
Islamabad: Pakistan is making preparations to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine to Poland, Pakistani officials said on Friday.
Pakistan embassy in Ukraine “is working round the clock to ensure the safe evacuation of the Pakistani community,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
Pakistan Foreign Office has advised students to travel to the western cities of Lviv and Ternopil by train as the airspace is currently closed amid the Russian attack in different parts of Ukraine.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Kiev, Noel Israel Khokhar, said all Pakistani nationals in Ukraine were safe and the embassy was working for their safe evacuation. The ambassador advised all students to follow the guidelines” and remain in contact with the embassy via the contacts shared on the social media platforms to make their way to Ternopil, about 360km from the capital city of Kyiv, for onward travel to Poland. The embassy has set up facilitation centres at Lviv and Ternopil railway stations.
Pakistan embassy in Ukraine is in close contact with Pakistani embassies in Poland, Romania and Hungary to facilitate the evacuation of students from Ukraine to nearby countries via road.
Pakistani Ambassador to Hungary Muhemmed Aejaz said that the embassies in the nearby region are “fully alert” and in touch with the embassy in Ukraine to facilitate the evacuation of students by arranging visa-free entry, accommodation, food and travel to Pakistan.
Students appeal for urgent evacuation
Hundreds of Pakistani students stranded in Ukraine have appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to urgently arrange their evacuation. There are some 700 Pakistani students in Kharkiv city, students claimed. The students have been asked by their university officials to move from their apartments to underground metro stations for safety reasons amid shelling. Several students posted videos on social media requesting the prime minister to make efforts to get them out of Ukraine. Some students complained that the Pakistani embassy was not cooperating with the students and did little to arrange special flights.
There are roughly 3,000 Pakistanis in Ukraine, according to officials.