Mob attack in Kyrgyzstan: Pakistan repatriates 140 students from Bishkek
UNB
Publish: 20 May 2024, 02:10 AM
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi receives the first batch of Pakistan students from Bishkek at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport late on Saturday.
ISLAMABAD,
May 19 (AP/UNB) - Pakistan asked its nationals in Kyrgyzstan to stay indoors
after mobs attacked foreigners in the capital Friday night over some unknown
dispute with migrants, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday. It also repatriated
140 Pakistani students from Bishkek after the violence.
A special flight
bringing the Pakistani students home from Kyrgyzstan landed at an airport on
Saturday in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, the Interior Ministry said.
Pakistan plans to use
more such flights to bring back all those who want to leave Bishkek following
the violence in the central Asian country, the ministry added.
According to local
media, the violence began last week following a clash between Kyrgyz people and
foreigners in the city.
Earlier, Pakistan said
its embassy in Bishkek was in contact with the Kyrgyz government to ensure the
safety and security of its nationals. Some of the injured Pakistani students
were treated at a local hospital in Bishkek, it said.
On Saturday, Pakistan
summoned a Kyrgyz diplomat to lodge a protest over the alleged attacks on its
nationals.
Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif also expressed his concern over the violence and said he was immediately
sending a senior Cabinet minister to Bishkek to supervise efforts to ensure the
wellbeing of Pakistan students.
Pakistani authorities
say they are unable to confirm if any of their nationals died in the attacks.
Thousands of Pakistanis
are studying or working in Kyrgyzstan.
