Ishaq Dar says cancells visit to Bishkek on Kyrgyz FM insistence

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also holds the portfolio of foreign minister (FM), on Sunday said he had cancelled the visit to Kyrgyzstan after the country’s foreign minister requested him to do so, saying his government was looking after the Pakistani students stranded in the capital Bishkek, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore with Federal Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar and Ameer Muqam sitting alongside him, he refuted reports that some Pakistani students had died in Saturday’s incidents of violence in Bishkek. “There are reports of four to five Pakistanis getting injured in yesterday’s violent attacks by Kyrgyz’s youth,” he informed.

He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was himself monitoring the situation in Bishkek.

“Although the government of Kyrgyzstan has asked us not to operate flights for the return of Pakistani students, saying it will ensure the safety of these students, still arrangements are being made for three more flights to bring them back from the Central Asian country, while the Pakistan Airforce will operate an airbus to Bishkek for the purpose,” the foreign minister informed.

Dar said that the incidents of violence took place in Kyrgyzstan because of a misunderstanding. “In this case, too, hate content was shared through social media,” he said.

Ata Tarar says situation now normal in Kyrgyzstan

Speaking on the occasion, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said that the situation had returned to normalcy in the Central Asian state.

He condemned what he called ‘political point scoring’ by a political party over the incident. “In Bishkek attacks, the party found an excuse to unleash propaganda against the government,” he lamented, adding, “A picture of a Bangladeshi student, posted on social media, was shown to be that of a Pakistani student.”  

Earlier, on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Dar along with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON Engineer Amir Muqam was due to fly to Bishkek today to engage with Kyrgyzstan authorities and address the Pakistani students' problems.

According to the 24News HD TV channel, video statements from Sindhi and Punjabi students stranded in Kyrgyzstan have also surfaced on Sunday, appealing to authorities and their families for immediate assistance.

Ghulam Murtaza Baladi, a student from Kundiaro, Sindh, contacted his parents via video link from Bishkek and emphasized the grave danger faced by Pakistani students and urged for their urgent evacuation. Ghulam Murtaza Baladi said that hundreds of students from Sindh and other areas are stuck here and should be helped.

Similarly, Arslan Tariq, a medical student from Arifwala, Punjab, described the dire conditions in Kyrgyzstan in his video statement. He reported that Pakistanis were being forcibly removed from vehicles and tortured, calling for the government's immediate intervention.

He also mentioned that no help had been provided by the Pakistani embassy and highlighted that students from Arifwala are among the victims of the violence in Kyrgyzstan.