Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • Over 600 Pakistani students evacuated from Kyrgyzstan following mob violence against foreigners


Over 600 Pakistani students evacuated from Kyrgyzstan following mob violence against foreigners

1 / 2
This handout photograph taken and released on May 19, 2024 by Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) shows Pakistan's Federal Minister and Senator Musadik Malik (R) receiving Pakistani students upon their return from Kyrgyzstan, late in Islamabad. (PID)
2 / 2
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar welcomes Pakistani students arriving from Kyrgyzstan at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 19, 2024. (PID)
Short Url

https://arab.news/vb3u5

Updated 20 May 2024
Follow

Over 600 Pakistani students evacuated from Kyrgyzstan following mob violence against foreigners

  • Another flight carrying 170 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan arrives in Lahore
  • Around 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in Kyrgyzstan’s educational institutions
Updated 20 May 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has evacuated over 600 students from Kyrgyzstan following last week’s violent clashes in the central Asian country, as another flight with 170 students arrived in Lahore on Monday morning. 

Videos of a brawl between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral on social media last week, prompting frenzied mobs to target hostels of medical universities and private lodgings of international students, including Pakistanis, in the city. 

Pakistan has since then ramped efforts to repatriate its students from the city, dispatching commercial and special flights to the country. According to official statistics, around 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in various educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, with nearly 6,000 residing and studying in Bishkek. Foreign Minister Dar on Sunday confirmed no Pakistani had died in the clashes. 

The first batch of around 130 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in the eastern city of Lahore late Saturday night. On Sunday, a flight carrying 140 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in Islamabad and was received by Federal Minister of Petroleum Musadik Malik. Another flight arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on Sunday night with 175 Pakistani students from Bishkek. 

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar on Monday welcomed another batch of 170 Pakistani students who arrived in Lahore from Kyrgyzstan. 

“There was a lot of fear among our students as there were a lot of tensions [in Kyrgyzstan],” Tarar told reporters at the airport. “Whatever we can do for these students, we will do.”

The minister once again rejected media reports that a Pakistani female student had been raped or killed. 

“Thank God neither a Pakistani girl was raped nor was any student killed,” he said, adding that a special flight was on its way with injured Pakistani students and their families. 

Pakistan’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hasan Zaigham said on Saturday that five Pakistani medical students had been injured in the mob attack. One student was admitted to a local hospital with a jaw injury, while the other four were released after receiving first aid.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it had summoned and handed a note of protest to Kyrgyzstan’s top diplomat in the country in response to violence against Pakistani students in Bishkek.

Topics: Pakistan Kyrgyzstan Pakistanis students in Kyrgyzstan

Degradation of Pakistani wetlands threatening diverse species, WWF-Pakistan says

Updated 27 sec ago
Follow

Degradation of Pakistani wetlands threatening diverse species, WWF-Pakistan says

  • Wetlands are defined as both freshwater and coastal and marine ecosystems that are vital to human well-being and sustainable development
  • WWF-Pakistan calls for protecting these wetlands that offer essential ecosystem services, including water filtration, carbon storage and flood control
Updated 27 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Degradation of wetlands in Pakistan have put the survival of diverse species like the Indus River dolphin, freshwater turtles and migratory birds at risk, the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan said on Saturday.
Wetlands are defined as both freshwater and coastal and marine ecosystems, and include all lakes and rivers, swamps, marshes, peatlands, estuaries, deltas, tidal flats, mangroves, coral reefs, and underground aquifers.
These areas are vital to human well-being and sustainable development but despite their critical role, wetlands are among the ecosystems with the highest rates of decline, loss and degradation, according to environmental experts.
Pakistan is home to more than 240 significant wetlands, covering an estimated 10 percent of the country’s land. These wetlands offer essential ecosystem services, including water filtration, carbon storage, flood control, and habitat for countless species.
“The health of wetlands has been severely impacted by water stress, untreated industrial waste, land reclamation, and agricultural runoff,” WWF-Pakistan said, underscoring the need to protect and restore Pakistan’s wetlands.
“These factors continue to shrink wetland areas, diminishing their ecological value.”
Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal Chaudhry, a WWF-Pakistan senior manager for research and conservation, called wetlands a “lifeline for millions of Pakistanis,” especially communities relying on fisheries, agriculture, and tourism.

This handout photo, released by the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan on February 1, 2025, shows Uchali Lake in Punjab province. (Handout/WWF-Pakistan)

Pakistani wetlands like Keenjhar Lake, Haleji Lake, Chashma Barrage and Jiwani Coastal Wetlands are critical breeding and feeding grounds for migratory birds, including white-headed ducks, flamingos, cranes, and the critically endangered Siberian crane, according to the WWF-Pakistan official. Wetlands also serve as nature’s buffer against climate change, absorbing excess floodwaters and reducing the impact of extreme weather events.
“Conserving wetlands is, therefore, not just an environmental imperative but a social and economic necessity,” Chaudhry urged.
WWF-Pakistan said it was actively working to conserve and restore wetlands through various initiatives, including the implementation of community-based conservation projects in the Indus Delta, Punjab’s wetlands, and Balochistan’s coastal ecosystems. The initiatives demonstrate the use of nature-based solutions (NbS) to address the challenges to wetlands.
It has improved engagement with policymakers to strengthen wetland protection laws and promote sustainable water management practices, according to the statement. Various initiatives are underway to train local communities in sustainable fishing, eco-tourism, and alternative livelihoods to reduce pressure on wetland resources.
WWF-Pakistan urged government agencies, civil society, businesses, and local communities to take collective action for the conservation of wetlands as they support local livelihoods and offer ecosystem services.
“Simple actions such as reducing water wastage, preventing plastic pollution, promoting sustainable agriculture, and participating in wetland clean-up activities can contribute to preserving these invaluable ecosystems,” it said.

Topics: World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

ICC appoints Boon, Gough and Illingworth for tri-series ODIs in Lahore and Karachi

Updated 32 min 47 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram  
Follow

ICC appoints Boon, Gough and Illingworth for tri-series ODIs in Lahore and Karachi

  • The single league tri-series is scheduled to be played from Feb. 8 till Feb. 14 in Lahore and Karachi
  • Pakistan’s Qaddafi Stadium, National Bank Stadium are set to welcome back international cricket
Updated 32 min 47 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram  

ISLAMABAD: Australia’s David Boon, who is a member of ICC Elite Panel of match referees, will lead the playing control team for this month’s tri-nation one-day international (ODI) series involving hosts Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday.
The single league tri-series is set to be played from Feb. 8 till Feb. 14 in Lahore and Karachi as the newly upgraded Qaddafi Stadium and National Bank Stadium are set to welcome back international cricket, according to the PCB.
Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the much-anticipated opening match on Feb. 8 at the Qaddafi Stadium. England’s Michael Gough, member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, and Pakistan’s Faisal Khan Aafreedi, an ICC International Panel Umpire, will be the on-field umpires.
“ICC Elite Panel Umpire, Richard Illingworth will be the third umpire and Rashid Riaz, member of the ICC International Panel of Umpires, will be the fourth umpire,” the PCB said in a statement.
Qaddafi Stadium will also feature the New Zealand vs South Africa contest on February 10, where Illingworth and Riaz will serve as the on-field umpires, while Gough will be the third umpire. ICC’s International Panel of Umpires’ member Asif Yaqoob will be the fourth umpire for the fixture which is set to be played as a day game.
The action will move to Karachi’s National Bank Stadium for the last league match and the final of the tri-series. Yaqoob and Gough will form the on-field umpires’ duo, while Illingworth and Aafreedi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively for the Pakistan vs South Africa fixture in Karachi.
In the final on February 14, ICC Elite Panel Umpire Ahsan Raza will officiate as an on-field umpire along with Illingworth, while Gough will be third umpire. Yaqoob will perform duties as the fourth umpire in the final.
The tri-nation series will be followed by the Champions Trophy tournament, which would also be hosted by Pakistan.

Topics: Pakistan cricket

Saudi Arabia’s Flyadeal launches operations in Pakistan with fully booked inaugural flight

Updated 01 February 2025
Follow

Saudi Arabia’s Flyadeal launches operations in Pakistan with fully booked inaugural flight

  • After Karachi, Flyadeal, a subsidiary of the Kingdom’s national flag carrier, aims to expand operations to other Pakistani cities
  • Given ‘immense’ response, the airline has decided to increase its weekly flights from two to four by March 1, official says
Updated 01 February 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Flyadeal, a low-cost Saudi airline, has commenced its operations in Pakistan with a fully booked inaugural flight carrying 186 passengers from Riyadh to Karachi, an airline official said on Saturday.
Headquartered in Jeddah, Flyadeal is a subsidiary of Saudi national flag carrier, Saudia, and was launched on Sept. 23, 2017. Initially, it flew to destinations within the Kingdom, but expanded its network by launching flights from Dammam to Cairo in Jun. 2022.
Flyadeal’s move to expand operations to Pakistan comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its tourism sector under the Vision 2030 program, which aims to attract over 150 million domestic and international tourists annually to the Kingdom by the end of the decade.
The inaugural Flyadeal flight, F3-661, arrived at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport at 8:04am on Saturday, according to the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA). 
“We are very proud that today was the first departure from Karachi to Riyadh of our flight,” Farooq S. Ahmad, Flyadeal’s head of sales told Arab News on Saturday.
“The capacity of the aircraft is 186 seats and the aircraft went full. In fact, [for] the next one week, all our flights are full to Jeddah and to Riyadh.”
The official said a ceremony was held at the Karachi’s Jinnah International airport to mark the occasion, with passengers receiving gifts by the airline. He said consumers inevitably benefit whenever a new airline enters the market and competition increases.
Ahmad highlighted an existing strong demand for travel between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, driven by religious tourism, the presence of a large Pakistani diaspora in the Kingdom, and general travel between the two countries.
“In the Pakistani market, Saudi Arabia is probably the number one destination,” Ahmad said. “There is, of course, the biggest attraction of Haramain Sharifain. So, people go for Hajj and Umrah there. Also, there’s a large diaspora of Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia. So, there’s a lot of home return and, blue-collar, white-collar traffic going to Saudi Arabia.”
Flyadeal’s competitive fares are expected to appeal to a broad range of travelers, according to the airline official. While the airline operates on a low-cost model, it caters to all passenger segments.
“We are a low-cost airline, but it’s not that we are targeting people only on a budget. We have more than 200 flights per day out of Jeddah, Riyadh and Damam. And our clientele is of all categories,” Ahmad said.
“So, it’s not that we are only targeting a specific class of people or specific group of people. What it is that it’s just another option in the market. We are very competitive.”
Following immense response in Pakistan, Flyadeal has already decided to double its weekly flights from two to four.
The additional flights are scheduled to commence from March 1, according to Ahmad. The airline also has ambitious plans to expand its network within Pakistan.
“We have already increased our flights,” he shared. “We also have a complete plan of going to various parts of Pakistan and northern Pakistan. Eventually, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, hopefully Multan and Sialkot. We have a very comprehensive plan for Pakistan.”
Flyadeal has established an office in Karachi and currently, it is partnering with Matchless Global Group as its General Sales Agent (GSA) in Pakistan, leveraging their existing network of offices, according to the official.
The airline’s expansion into Pakistan is also expected to create employment opportunities in the South Asia country.
“Any business opportunity to any country opens up opportunities for employment,” Ahmad added.

Topics: flyadeal Karachi airport

Old India-Pakistan rivalry drives South Asia diplomatic reshuffle

Updated 01 February 2025
AFP
Follow

Old India-Pakistan rivalry drives South Asia diplomatic reshuffle

  • New Delhi is courting Afghanistan’s Taliban while Islamabad befriends new leaders of post-revolutionary Bangladesh
  • Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have also worsened since Taliban returned to power in Kabul nearly four years ago
Updated 01 February 2025
AFP

NEW DELHI: Old rivalries between India and Pakistan are driving a shift in regional ties, with New Delhi courting Afghanistan’s Taliban while Islamabad befriends the new leaders of post-revolutionary Bangladesh.

Diplomatic dynamics in South Asia are rooted in long-running distrust between the region’s two most populous nations.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan — carved out of the subcontinent at the chaotic end of British colonial rule in 1947 — have fought multiple wars and remain bitter foes.

The rivalry shows no sign of abating, with New Delhi denying in January it had launched covert operations to kill anti-Indian militants on Pakistani soil.

“You can’t have snakes in your backyard and expect them to only bite your neighbors,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in dismissing the allegations.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have also worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul nearly four years ago.

Islamabad has accused Taliban authorities of failing to rein in militants they say are using Afghan territory to stage attacks that have killed thousands of Pakistani security personnel.

Pakistan launched deadly air strikes in Afghanistan border regions in December, with subsequent cross-border exchanges of fire.

The Taliban’s austere interpretation of Islamic law seems at first glance an unlikely pairing for the Hindu nationalism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but India has nonetheless moved to exploit the opportunity.

“India has been pursuing this path quite consistently for quite some time,” international relations professor Hassan Abbas of the National Defense University in Washington told AFP.

“They don’t want the Taliban to give space to any group that is going to ultimately be a bigger threat to India,” he said, adding that the prospect of “annoying Pakistan” was also appealing for New Delhi.

India’s top career diplomat, Vikram Misri, met with Taliban foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai in January.

Jaiswal described the meeting as the “highest level of engagement” yet, adding that New Delhi was determined to “strengthen our longstanding relationship with the people of Afghanistan.”

Muttaqi had in turn “expressed his hope for the expansion of relations,” a spokesman for his ministry said.

Jaiswal said it was agreed at the meeting to “promote the use” of India’s $370 million development of Iran’s Chabahar container port “for supporting trade and commercial activities” to landlocked Afghanistan.

Chabahar is just west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which is considered a cornerstone of the infrastructure expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan.

India has long been wary of China’s growing regional clout and the world’s two most populous countries compete for influence in South Asia, despite a recent diplomatic thaw.

The Times of India said in an editorial after the Dubai meeting that New Delhi’s “quiet yet deliberate engagement” with the Taliban was reshaping strategic regional ties.

“Despite not officially recognizing the Taliban government, India understands the importance of maintaining a foothold in Afghanistan,” the newspaper wrote.

“The move also aligns with India’s broader regional strategy, which seeks to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its influence in neighboring Pakistan,” it said.

At the same time, old enemies Pakistan and Bangladesh now speak of “friendly” ties.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation but split in a brutal 1971 war, with Bangladesh then drawing closer to India.

However, long-time Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina was ousted in an August 2024 revolution, fleeing by helicopter to her old ally India, where she has defied Dhaka’s extradition requests to face charges including mass murder.

Relations between India and Bangladesh’s new government have been frosty since then, allowing Islamabad and Dhaka to slowly rebuild ties.

The first cargo ship in decades to sail directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh successfully unloaded its containers in the port of Chittagong in November.

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus also met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December, saying he had “agreed to strengthen relations.”

Top Bangladeshi army commanders later visited Pakistan, discussing training programs and praising the “friendly relationship” between the nations.

Dhaka University professor Amena Mohsin told AFP that the sudden closeness reflected one of the oldest dictums in international diplomacy.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” she said.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pakistan Bangladesh Ties Pakistan Afghan Ties India Afghanistan Ties

Army says 18 security forces killed in militant attack in southwest Pakistan

Updated 01 February 2025
Follow

Army says 18 security forces killed in militant attack in southwest Pakistan

  • Incident took place in Balochistan province when militants attempted to establish roadblocks in Mangochar town in Kalat district
  • At least 23 militants killed in subsequent clearance operations by security forces, separatist BLA claims responsibility for attacks
Updated 01 February 2025
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: The Pakistan army said on Saturday 18 security forces had been killed while trying to thwart an “act of terrorism” in the country’s insurgency-plagued Balochistan province, while 23 militants had been killed in clearance operations following the attack. 
The incident took place in Kalat district’s Mangochar town on the night between Friday and Saturday when militants attempted to establish roadblocks in the area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the most prominent separatist groups operating in the southwestern province, claimed responsibility. 
“Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies were immediately mobilized, who successfully thwarted the evil design of terrorists,” ISPR said. “However, during the conduct of operations, eighteen brave sons of soil, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat.”
In a second statement, the army said it had conducted several “sanitization operations” following the Kalat attack, killing 23 militants. 
While the army did not specify which forces the 18 soldiers belonged to, government officials in Balochistan told Arab News they included 17 soldiers and one Frontier Corps trooper. 
Deputy Commissioner Kalat Bilal Shabbir said the attacks took place in the Pidrang, Khazeni and Mangochar Bazaar areas of Kalat. 
In one incident, a van carrying 17 soldiers from Panjgur to the provincial capital of Quetta was targeted near Khazeni, killing onboard. 
In another incident, one member of the FC force was killed in clashes with militants while three FC personnel were injured, Shabbir said, adding that militants also set a private bank on fire in Mangochar Bazaar. 
“The bodies of the slain soldiers were shifted to Quetta,” Shabbir said. 
The BLA claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it had captured a Pakistan security forces camp in Mangochar. Arab News could not independently verify the claim.
Assistant Commissioner Mangochar Ali Gul Hassan said two civilians were separately injured when a Quetta-Karachi passenger bus was sprayed with bullets in Mangochar bazaar. Security forces subsequently took control of the area.
“Security forces have completed the clearance operation in the area during the early hours of Saturday and the Quetta-Karachi highway (N-25) is open for traffic,” Hassan told Arab News.

A handout image released by Balochistan Levies on February 1, 2025, shows a bank damaged in an overnight attack by separatist militants in the town of Mangochar, located in Balochistan’s Kalat district. (Photo courtesy: Balochistan Levies)

BALOCHISTAN INSURGENCY
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced a low-level insurgency led by separatist groups like the BLA, who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources while neglecting the local population.
Pakistani governments have for decades denied these allegations, saying they have prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
The BLA has emerged as a significant security threat in recent months, carrying out major attacks in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan and targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis they consider outsiders in Balochistan, as well as Chinese interests and nationals working on investment projects.
Over 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of attacks in Balochistan claimed by the BLA. Last month, dozens of fighters of the separatist outfit gained control of a small town in Khuzdar for hours. They snatched weapons and vehicles from the local Levies paramilitary force and set the Levies station on fire.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people last year, according to official statistics, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.
Recent attacks on Chinese interests, including one in October 2024 in which two Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, have forced Beijing to publicly criticize Pakistan and slowed work on the joint multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Topics: Balochistan Attacks militancy in Pakistan

Latest updates

Pakistan separatist militants kill 18 paramilitaries in ambush
Syria vows ‘no leniency’ after detainee death: state media
Degradation of Pakistani wetlands threatening diverse species, WWF-Pakistan says
Indian troops kill eight Maoist rebels
Russian drone and missile attacks kill 6 in Ukraine

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.