Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that four special flights, including a Pakistan Air Force Airbus aircraft, will ferry 540 Pakistani students to the country following mob violence against foreign students in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. 

Dar also assured that no Pakistani students were killed in the violence. 

Addressing the media alongside Information Minister Ataullah Tarar and Federal Minister Engr Amir Muqam, Dar said the number of repatriated students from Bishkek would reach 670 after today’s special flights.

The foreign minister added that three flights are fully booked, but the additional PAF flight is still open for bookings.

The deputy premier stated that 24-hour hotlines are operational to facilitate any Pakistani national wishing to return to the country via special flights.

“If students want to leave, we are prepared to bring them… but obviously not all students would like to come,” the deputy premier added.

Around 140 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, arrived at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport last night (Saturday) following mob violence that targeted international students, including Pakistani nationals.

Dar, sharing information provided by the Kyrgyz foreign minister, said 16 foreign students, including four Pakistanis, had sustained injuries during the mob attacks.

The foreign minister said his counterpart assured him that he, the Kyrgyz president, and the cabinet chair were monitoring the situation and that it is now “completely under control”, with no further incidents reported.

Dar, quoting his counterpart, said international students were encouraged to engage in dialogue with Kyrgyz students

Read Families on pins and needles as Bishkek riots rage on

Shedding light on the incident, the foreign minister said opposition parties in Kyrgyzstan often criticize foreign students. “He (Kyrgyz FM) said ‘we highly value you as a brother country’ but they (opposition) talk against the government’s policy,”

“‘Paid bloggers and paid social media; we don’t know what their agenda is’,” Dar quoted his counterpart as saying regarding misinformation on social media.

“The foreign minister assured me categorically that absolute lies were posted on social media. He guaranteed, ‘Not a single Pakistani student has died.'”

The minister also said ministerial visits were cancelled upon assurances from the Kyrgyz “senior leadership” that the situation is under control, emphasizing respect for diplomatic relations with the ‘brotherly state’.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had instructed his deputy, Dar, and Minister of Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam to travel to Bishkek on Sunday (today).

Furthermore, the deputy PM addressed concerns over the authenticity of distressing images circulating online, asserting that the situation is under control and security has been enhanced.

Muqam emphasized the importance of the students’ academic pursuits, stressing against politicizing the issue.