Libya unrest: Pakistan ramps up efforts to evacuate citizens

A chartered flight is set to bring back 180 Pakistanis from Libya to Pakistan tonight.

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday said that progress has been made for the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis with the help of friendly governments.

A chartered flight from Istanbul is set to bring 180 Pakistanis who fled from Libya back to Pakistan tonight. The Pakistani nationals  worked for a Turkish construction company operating in Libya. Pakistan has around 18,000 of its nationals in the violence-torn country.

"Our Missions in the region have clear instructions from the Foreign Ministry to facilitate early and safe repatriation of Pakistani expatriates to Pakistan," a statement from the Foreign Office spokesperson said.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, taking note of the problems of the stranded Pakistanis in Libya directed the Foreign Office Sunday to take immediate measures for safety of Pakistani expatriates.

Pakistan embassy officials are working with local authorities in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Turkey to ensure the repatriation, especially of those Pakistanis who were without proper documentation and passports, the statement said.

The Foreign Office said embassy officials have been sent to the Libyan border to receive arriving Pakistanis. It said that arrangements were being made for the arrival of a group of Pakistanis by sea to Turkey from where they will be evacuated by air.

The Foreign Ministry has contacted Turkey, China, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and other countries for the evacuation of Pakistani expatriates through all possible routes.

'Free of cost documents for stranded Pakistanis'

Interior minister Rehman Malik today ordered the DG passport to provide Pakistanis stranded in Libya with the required traveling documents at no cost.

Malik also advised to set up separate counters at airports where the concerned Pakistanis can register their data in order to streamline the procedure for their return, a report on a local television channel said.

The interior minister has also called for a meeting of related officials on Wednesday.