World News | Hundreds of Stranded Pakistani Students Evacuated from Ukraine

Islamabad, Feb 26 (PTI) More than 2,400 Pakistani students stranded in the war-hit Ukraine have been safely evacuated to Poland, Pakistan's ambassador to Ukraine Noel Israel Khokhar said on Saturday.

Khokhar posted a voice message on the Twitter handle of Pakistan Embassy Ukraine after hue and cry in the country about the fate of nearly 3,000 students in Ukraine.

Also Read | Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Speaks to PM Narendra Modi, Seeks Political Support at UNSC.

The ambassador said that a vast majority of students in Ukraine have been safely evacuated despite the difficult situation in the country.

“There were about 3,000 students in Ukraine; the bulk of them have been evacuated. Only 500-600 students are left and they are also in the process of being evacuated,” he said.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Russian Casualties Heavy and Greater Than Anticipated by Kremlin, Says UK.

Khokhar mentioned about the difficulties due to the ongoing Russian attack, which has forced the closure of air travel and said that Pakistani nationals were safe.

“All Pakistanis are safe and we are trying to guide them under the difficult situation,” Khokhar said, as he cited the closure of flights, banking systems and non-availability of transport and fuel.

Pakistan was forced to shift its embassy from Kyiv to Ternopil, according to the spokesman of Foreign Office.

Khokhar said a total of 62 people, including 21 family members of the embassy staff, had already been evacuated, whereas 59 people were on the Ukraine-Poland border crossing.

He said another 79 people, including 67 students and 12 family members of embassy staff, were on their way to the Ukraine-Poland border. A batch of 104 students from Kharkiv was arriving via train while 20 other students were being evacuated from Kyiv on a bus arranged by the embassy.

Poland has already opened border crossings for pedestrians after the Pakistani embassy in Ukraine formally requested the Polish government to open more crossing points for pedestrians on its border with Ukraine, according to the Foreign Office.

Thousands of Pakistani students every year enroll in countries of erstwhile USSR due to relatively cheaper education.

Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan are among the preferred destinations for students who cannot get admission in medical colleges and for other professional courses in Pakistan.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)