A plane carrying 175 Pakistani students stranded in Bishkek amid mob attacks on foreign students from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Egypt landed at Lahore airport on Sunday, with Information Minister Ataullah Tarar saying the government will ensure safe return of all stranded Pakistani students.
Following the Sunday flights, the total number of Pakistani students who have returned to their homeland has crossed 500, according to the government. In a press conference, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said 540 students were scheduled to return to Pakistan via special flights through Monday.
Rebutting social media rumors about the death of Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan, he said 4-5 Pakistani students were injured, adding his Kyrgyz counterpart had assured him the situation was under control. He said roughly 11,000 Pakistani students were studying in Bishkek, and those returning would be fully facilitated.
Dar also urged the students to trust Kyrgyz authorities and advised those desiring to leave Kyrgyzstan to register with the embassy. He said that the Kyrgyz foreign minister had repeatedly assured there was no need to panic and that those involved in the incidents were being arrested and penalized.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed Ambassador of Pakistan in Kyrgyzstan Hasan Ali Zaigham to make all necessary arrangements for special flight to repatriate all Pakistani students. In a telephone call, he instructed the envoy to stay in touch with all Pakistani students in Kyrgyzstan and their families. He stressed that students injured in the mob violence should be brought back to Pakistan on priority, adding the repatriation of family members residing in the central Asian state should also be arranged.
According to a statement, all expenses of the flights would be borne by the Government of Pakistan. It said the ambassador had informed the prime minister about his meeting with Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Imangaziev Almaz, maintaining the situation was now under control and there were no new incidents of violence after the events of Friday night.
Taking notice of the incident, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has written to the Pakistani ambassador in Kyrgyzstan, offering to pay the expenses of the students belonging to the province.
Balochistan C.M. Sarfraz Bugti has similarly established a special desk to facilitate the return of Baloch students studying in Kyrgyzstan.
The unrest in Bishkek broke out on Friday night following a dispute between Egyptian students and locals. Subsequently, Kyrgyz students began attacking foreign students, including Pakistani students, across Bishkek.