Pakistanis in Ukraine: Foreign ministry cancels evacuation flights

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cancelled the flight schedule of evacuation flights for stranded Pakistanis in war-torn Ukraine, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The foreign ministry has cancelled the scheduled evacuation flights to Ukraine to bring back stranded Pakistanis from Poland. It was learnt that the passenger load on the flight was only 95.

A flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is likely to be departed for Poland within the next 36 to 48 hours.

READ: 35 PAKISTANI STUDENTS MANAGE TO REACH POLAND

Prior to the changes in the flight plan, PIA had completed preparations to operate two flights to Poland for evacuating the nationals.

The foreign ministry’s spokesperson said in a statement that the flights will be departed for Poland after the orders of the ministry.

🔔 Updated snapshot of evacuation numbers from @PakinUkraine ‼️ pic.twitter.com/0bk6IT6YtI

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 26, 2022

Earlier in the day, it was learnt that Pakistani authorities in Ukraine have expedited evacuation operations in wake of Russia’s attack and on Saturday continue to shift families of members of the Pakistan embassy in Kyiv and students to border areas of the war-hit country.

According to details shared by Pakistan’s embassy, 12 families of the staffers at the embassy have been evacuated and are being shifted to the Ukraine-Romania border. “Pakistan embassy in Romania is facilitating the entire evacuation process,” it said.

READ: PIA FLIGHT PLAN TO EVACUATE PAKISTANI STUDENTS

Moreover, 34 more students stranded in Kyiv have been on their way to Loyo from Kharkiv after they boarded a train last night. The facilitation desk of the embassy in Loyo will attend to the students and later shift them to a border area.

‼️In continuation of @PakinUkraine evacuation efforts, 1️⃣0️⃣4️⃣ more Pakistani students are on way from Kharkiv for #Lviv.

➖ They will be received by Embassy personnel and transferred to the nearest border crossing point. pic.twitter.com/ofO9QmfvCG

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 26, 2022

Pakistan’s ambassador in Ukraine shared that 3,000 students were present in Ukraine and a majority of them have been evacuated and only upto 600 are currently in Kyiv.

READ: PAKISTANI EMBASSY IN UKRAINE RELEASES EMERGENCY NUMBERS

“Up to 50 more students will be evacuated tonight,” he said and added that they would be sent to Poland. “We are faced with cyberattacks in Ukraine and the banking system is currently not working but we are still trying our best to evacuate all Pakistanis,” he said.

Yesterday, Pakistan prepared a flight plan to evacuate Pakistani citizens and students trapped in war-torn Ukraine as the ambassador and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) chief executive officer made a contact.