KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight, which was carrying 169 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in Syria due to the Israeli bombing, has reached Karachi, ARY News reported on Monday.
According to details, the flight – departed for Syria on special directives of Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique – landed at Jinnah International Airport at 11pm.
A PIA spokesperson, in a statement, said that the passengers were first transported from Damascus to Aleppo by bus from where they boarded the flight.
He said Pakistan’s ambassador to Syria had requested the government and the national flag carrier for sending the flight to evacuate the stranded Pakistanis.
It is pertinent to mention that more than 300 Pakistanis are stranded in Syria. 160 zaireen will be brought back home by the PIA plane, whereas, the rest of 140 will be travelling to Iraq on their own.
A day earlier, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari directed the authorities to ensure immediate repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in Syria after Israeli forces resorted to bombardment at Damascus airport.
The PIA had suspended its flight operations to and from Damascus following the Israeli forces’ attack at the Damascus International Airport that caused damage to both runways of the air facility a couple of days ago.
