A special charter flight carrying 318 Pakistanis stranded in Syria landed at Islamabad International Airport

Islamabad: On Thursday, a specially chartered aircraft carrying 318 Pakistanis who were stuck in Syria as a result of recent unrest touched down at Islamabad International Airport. The Pakistani authorities worked together to organize the evacuation, with Lebanon providing a major amount of support.

Along with officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, welcomed the passengers at the airport. The passengers had been transferred to Lebanon due to the changing circumstances in Syria.

Thanks to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s outreach to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Ahsan Iqbal thanked the Lebanese authorities for providing visas to the stranded individuals.

Ahsan Iqbal said at the welcome that “the NDMA has arranged buses to transport passengers to their respective destinations.” Noting that the premier had personally overseen daily evaluations to guarantee the safe repatriation of Pakistani citizens from Syria, he praised PM Shehbaz’s leadership.

He went on to say, “Wherever Pakistanis face challenges, they are not alone, as the Pakistani government stands with them,” restating the government’s resolve to assist its residents overseas.

After Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by a lightning onslaught spearheaded by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization and its supporters, ending his five-decade reign, the evacuation became inevitable.
The evacuation was then aided by Pakistan’s ambassador, who supervised the trapped individuals’ departure from Beirut Airport early Thursday.

In order to ensure the evacuation, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke directly with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who promised his “wholehearted support” for Pakistanis attempting to go safely. Additionally, Mikati promised to “extend all possible support” in order to make it easier for them to return to Pakistan.

Upon arrival, travelers received assistance from a dedicated help desk set up by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, and refreshments were prepared for their comfort. The NDMA oversaw logistics to guarantee the evacuees’ seamless subsequent journey.

Pakistan’s position on the Syrian crisis was emphasized by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement at her weekly news conference. “We are worried about the increase of violence and are keeping an eye on events in Syria. We fully support Syria’s geographical integrity, unity, and sovereignty,” she said.
The “right of the Syrian people to determine their own future and make decisions about their destiny, which any foreign interference or external imposition should not determine” is what Baloch reaffirmed as being Pakistan’s attitude.