A special flight carrying 290 Pakistani students stranded in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, landed safely at Bacha Khan Airport in Peshawar early on Wednesday morning.
The flight, organized by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, marked the first of four planned special flights aimed at bringing back students from Bishkek to the province.
The returning students were warmly welcomed by their parents and relatives, who had gathered at the airport to receive them. Also present were key members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, including Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi and Adviser Mashal Afridi, who expressed their relief and joy at the students' safe return.
Also Read: Third flight from Kyrgyzstan brings Pakistani students home safely
Minister Meena Afridi, speaking to the media at the airport, emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring the well-being of its citizens abroad. "The students in Kyrgyzstan will not be left alone in difficult times," she stated. "The provincial government is dedicated to bringing our children home safely."
Later in the day, a second special flight carrying around 200 students from Bishkek arrived safely in Peshawar. Provincial ministers, the PDMA DG and other senior officials were present at the airport to welcome the Pakistani students.
A large number of parents of the students were present at the airport to receive their loved ones. The PDMA is also providing transport facility to the arrivals, while further listing of the Pakistani students stuck in Kyrgyzstan is also being carried out.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned a total of four special flights to ensure all Pakistani students stranded in Kyrgyzstan can return home.
Parents expressed their gratitude to the provincial government for the timely intervention. "We are so relieved to have our children back home," said one parent, tears of joy streaming down her face. "We are thankful to everyone involved in making this happen."
Also Read: 526 more students return to Lahore, Islamabad from Bishkek
Meanwhile, another evacuation flight from Bishkek landed at Multan International Airport with 170 passengers and six crew members, airport sources said. Airport and OPF officials welcomed the returning students.
The OPF also provided refreshments to the students and transport facility to 23 of them for travelling outside the city.
On Tuesday, a group of 179 Pakistani students, both male and female, safely returned to Lahore from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Their arrival was warmly welcomed by the officers and staff of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF).
Another batch of 347 students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in Islamabad. Among them, 180 students landed in Islamabad via a private flight at 5:30am, while a national airline flight brought an additional 167 students to Islamabad airport. This brings the total number of students who have returned to Islamabad through five separate flights to 810.
On May 18, dozens of students, including 14 Pakistanis, were reportedly injured in a mob attack on foreign students by locals in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, according to news reports.
According to details, an angry mob of hundreds of locals entered the hostels of foreign medical students, ransacked them, broke windows and glass, and damaged property. Indian, Bangladeshi and Egyptian students were also brutally tortured, including several women students.
