Russia-Ukraine crisis: More than 350 stranded Pakistanis reach Poland

Embassy advised Pakistanis in Kharkhiv to “take the first available train” to Ternopil since the trains are functioning

By Sa'adia Reza

Published: Mon 28 Feb 2022, 3:55 PM

Embassy in Ukraine assured that within the next 24 hours more than 70 to 80 percent will be evacuated

When Talha Nawab, a Pakistani student stuck in Ukraine finally reached Poland, it was a surreal feeling for him. For the past few days, he and his friends had been living in uncertainty, trying to flee the war-torn country, wavering between hope and fear and often a disappointment.

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“We were stranded in three different places in Ukraine and had lost all hope of crossing the border.

“But somehow, we managed to reach the border early in the morning yesterday (February 27) and eventually crossed into Poland.

“Thankfully, here we were given a great welcome and are now comfortably accommodated until our return to Pakistan,” he said in a video message to Khaleej Times.

So far, more than 400 Pakistanis have been evacuated from Ukraine to Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Pakistan.

The majority of them – more than 350 – are currently present in Poland, where around 200 students are being sheltered in hotels and hostels in Warsaw.

Moreover, Pakistan Embassy in Ukraine has assured that within the next 24 hours, more than 70 to 80 per cent of Pakistanis stranded in Ukraine will be evacuated.

In a voice note posted on the Embassy’s official Twitter account, Ambassador Dr Noel Israel Khokhar further reiterated that the government is doing everything possible to expedite the evacuation process.

The Embassy also advised Pakistanis in Kharkhiv to “take the first available train” to Ternopil since the trains are functioning.

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“It’s a difficult situation for the students at the Ukrainian border, since there’s a major congestion at the point from where our students were crossing, where over 3,70,000 Ukrainians have crossed over in the past two days,” said the Ambassador. At the moment, around 150 Pakistanis are present at the border, he added.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Poland Malik Muhammad Farooq assured that the evacuees are settled comfortably and that the government is arranging for repatriation to Pakistan at the earliest.