Russia-Ukraine crisis: Pakistani students call for quick evacuation from Kyiv

Stranded Pakistani students in Ukraine have appealed to the Pakistani Embassy in Ukraine and the government for assistance after flights out of Kyiv got cancelled on Thursday. According to videos that surfaced on social media a few hours ago, several Pakistanis, living in the Ukranian capital, as well as students from other cities, called out to the embassy for quick evacuation.

“We’ve been stuck here for hours, with nothing to eat or drink and we cannot go back to our hostels either. We’re running around with our valuables and luggage, but to no avail so far,” said a student in the video sitting with his friends at a train station in Kharkhiv.

Ambassador to Ukraine Dr Noel Israel Khokhar has assured that the government is working on safe evacuation of all Pakistan nationals stranded in the country. As per the twitter handle of the Embassy in Ukraine, the Embassy has advised students to reach Ternopil from where evacuation procedure will happen depending on how the situation unfolds.

“The Embassy of Pakistan is fully functional from Ternopil, Ukraine,” read the announcement while listing contact details of the Embassy. The announcement was also reinforced on the Foreign Office twitter handle which assured that the “Embassy is available 24/7 to offer assistance to Pakistanis in Ukraine”.

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Students, however, are questioning how they are to reach Ternopil from other cities since there’s no transport available given the critical situation.

News reports cite that around 1,500 Pakistanis including 500 students are present in Ukraine.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com

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