PIA plans to bring back citizens in Ukraine
PHOTO: FILE
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday announced that it had prepared a grand operation for the repatriation of about 2,000 Pakistanis from Ukraine, which was currently under attack from Russia.
The announcement came as the Foreign Office and the Pakistani embassy in Ukraine said all the Pakistanis there were safe and that special arrangements had been made to evacuate them to Poland by land route.
A PIA spokesperson said Boeing-777 aircraft would be used in the special evacuation operation, adding that 2,000 Pakistani nationals, including students, would be airlifted from Poland. The spokesperson added that the flight schedule would be released soon.
“PIA CEO [Chief Executive Officer] Air Marshal (retd) Arshad Malik contacted Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ukraine Maj-Gen (retd) Noel Khokhar and offered the PIA’s services for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in Ukraine,” the spokesperson added.
Read more: Pakistan embassy in Ukraine advises stranded students to travel to Ternopil
According to the spokesperson, all Pakistani students would gather in the Ukrainian city of Ternopil. “The Pakistani embassy in Ternopil will transfer all the students to Poland by land route. PIA's Boeing 777 aircraft will then repatriate the students from Poland.”
The spokesperson quoted the PIA CEO as saying that it was the tradition of the national carrier to step in when the country needed it. “He [PIA CEO] told the ambassador that the flights are being prepared and the aircraft will depart as soon as the students arrive in Poland.”
Earlier on Friday, the country’s embassy in Ukraine advised all Pakistani students to reach Ternopil for their evacuation to Poland.
In a statement, the embassy said trains were functioning and tickets were available from Kharkiv to Lviv and Ternopil. “In cities where public transport is not available … [the] embassy has tasked concerned Honorary Education Consultant for arranging transportation and bringing students to Ternopil.”
The embassy has also set up a facilitation centre in Ternopil and a reception point at Lvix railway station because the capital city of Kyiv was under attack.
Ambassador Dr Khokhar advised the students to follow guidelines for their transportation to Ternopil for their onward evacuation to Poland.
“The Embassy is also in close contact with [the] Pakistani Embassies in Poland, Romania and Hungary. All these Missions have been directed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad to facilitate all Pakistani students coming from Ukraine.”
Also read: Ukraine closes airspace to civilian flights amid Russian military action
The embassy said it had already gathered 35 Pakistani students in Ternopil and they would be evacuated soon. “Other Pakistani students are being transported to Ternopil and will be evacuated at the earliest.”
The statement provided the contact number of two focal persons for facilitation. It said that students could contact Zaib Alam Khan, deputy head of mission, on phone numbers 00380-639578040 and 00923-459374899 and Zahid Abbas, consular assistant, on 00380-638282984.
The Pakistani community in Ukraine comprises around 4,000 people but most of them had married to Ukrainians, whereas there are around 2,000 students.
The Pakistani students were advised two weeks ago to leave but they refused because their temporary resident permits were not yet issued.
As of Friday, most of the families and students had already left Ukraine. However, there are hundreds of students still left in the country. The embassy has asked the remaining students – 240 in Kyiv, 250 in Kharkiv, 60 each in Poltova and Vintsya – to reach the National Medical University, Ternopil, as soon as possible.
During the current situation, the Pakistan embassy is working from Ternopil. The embassy is coordinating with the embassy staff in Poland for onward facilitation in the evacuation of the students to Pakistan.
The foreign ministry has already instructed the Pakistani embassies in Bucharest, Romania; Budapest, Hungary; and Warsaw, Poland to prepare for receiving the Pakistan nationals. Financial resources had already been provided to the relevant embassy staff even before the start of the war.
The mission in Hungary is expecting 15-20 Pakistani students arriving by Friday night or early Saturday (today) morning. The mission in Poland is expecting 50 students in different groups, crossing its border with Ukraine on Friday night or early Saturday morning.
The embassy has facilitated in crossing over around 30 students into Poland. It has also arranged the movement of around 65 students stranded in Kharkiv via train. The embassy is looking forward to receive them in Lviv and then help them to reach Poland. Another 35 students, who are at the Ternopil facilitation point, will be facilitated to cross over to Poland or other countries.
The embassy said it was coordinating with the PIA through the mission in Warsaw to have a sufficient number of students, who could then be evacuated directly to Pakistan.