Anxious stranded students, parents belie Pak mission‘s evacuation claim

The Pakistan embassy in Ukraine has succeeded in evacuating 35 Pakistani students while 65 students stuck in Kharkiv will be rescued today (Saturday) whereas the students and their anxious parents here have belied the embassy’s evacuation claim, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

The Pakistani mission in Ukraine has requested Poland to open its border crossing and allow the stranded students to enter Poland. Initially, Poland opened one crossing point and allowed people to walk over and enter the country. However, the Pak embassy has requested the European country to open 8 crossing points. 

On the other hand, the parents of stranded students have shown their anxiety over the whereabouts of their children in the war-torn country.

Talking to 24NewsHD TV channel, a resident of Tando Allah, Yar Khadim Hussain, father of Muhammad Zarar who is doing his MBBS from the International European University, Kyiv said that he was unable to contact his son. He said he tried to call Pakistan mission but he failed to contact them too. The poor father said he was extremely worried about the safety of his son. He appealed to the government to evacuate his son. 

The Pakistani students lambasted the Pakistani embassy saying that the mission first asked them to reach Kyiv and when they reached here with great difficulty and after spending thousands of rupees, they were asking them to go to another place. The mission has not evacuated even a single student, they alleged. 

A student belonging to Peshawar told 24NewsHD that our ambassador was lying as no student had been evacuated yet. He complained that the envoy was just deceiving the students.

In a video message, a mechanical engineering student, Saqib Hussain, resident of Noshero Feroze, said that there were three other Pakistanis with him. Their lives are in danger, he said adding that he contacted the Pakistan embassy but nobody was helping them. He requested the government to arrange for their evacuation and save their lives. 

Koyal Ravi Bhel, a Tando Allah Yar’s resident whose son has been stranded in the war-hit country said that her son, Raj Kumar Bhel, was a studying in a medical university. She cried her heart out appealing to the government to evacuate her son.  

On the other hand, Pakistani envoy to Ukraine Noel Khokhar talked to PIA CEO and on the offer of the latter, the mission has prepared a plan to bring back 2,000 Pakistani students stranded in Ukraine. The students will assemble at Ternopil and the mission will send them to Poland via land route from where they will be flown back home in PIA’s airbus Boing 777. 

The PIA CEO said that as soon as students reach Poland, the flight will be arranged. 

Reporters Saud Butt, Sheharyar Jokhio, Usman Javed