On Thursday, the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine, through land, air and sea borders, left millions of Ukrainians and international residents of the country in immediate and dire need of adequate shelter and safety.
As the war reached the outskirts of the country’s capital Kyiv, hundreds of Pakistani students have also been forced to leave their hostels and shared apartments. Ukraine’s medical universities, engineering and business institutions are home to thousands of international students. The country has also seen significant Pakistanis who have turned up to study there.
The closure of the airspace of Ukraine in the wake of Russia's airstrike threw a spanner to the evacuation plans of the countries amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis which is now a full-blown war. India has evacuated its students through an alternative land route on Friday.
Pakistan's foreign office on Friday issued an advisory for Pakistani students and asked them to reach Ternopil. "A focal person (+380681734727) of the Pakistan embassy is also available for facilitation of Pakistani students in Kyiv," FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.
"Trains are functioning and tickets are available from Kharkiv to Lviv/ Ternopil. In cities where public transport is not available at the moment, all students are informed that [the] embassy has tasked concerned Honorary Education Consultant for arranging transportation and bringing students to Ternopil," the statement said.
Before the Imran Khan government pressed to action, videos of students seeking help went viral. "The embassy is lying that they have evacuated all students. But we all are sitting here," a student said in the viral video.
