A special flight carrying 290 Pakistani students stranded in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, landed safely at Bacha Khan Airport in Peshawar early Wednesday morning.
Organized by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, this flight was the first of four planned to bring students back from Bishkek to the province. The returning students were warmly greeted by their parents and relatives, who had gathered at the airport. Key members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, including Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi and Adviser Mashal Afridi, were also present to express their relief and joy at the students’ safe return.
Minister Meena Afridi, addressing the media at the airport, emphasized the government’s commitment to the welfare of its citizens abroad. “The students in Kyrgyzstan will not be left alone in difficult times,” she affirmed. “The provincial government is dedicated to bringing our children home safely.”
The second special flight, also carrying students from Bishkek, is expected to arrive in Peshawar early today. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned a total of four special flights to ensure the safe return of all Pakistani students stranded in Kyrgyzstan.
Parents expressed deep gratitude to the provincial government for its 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.”
In addition, another evacuation flight from Bishkek landed at Multan International Airport with 170 passengers and six crew members, according to airport sources. Airport and Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) officials welcomed the returning students, providing them with refreshments and transportation for 23 students traveling outside the city.
On Tuesday, 179 Pakistani students, both male and female, returned safely to Lahore from Bishkek. Their arrival was warmly welcomed by officers and staff of the OPF.
Additionally, 347 students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in Islamabad, with 180 students landing via a private flight at 5:30 am and a national airline flight bringing another 167 students. 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. Reports detailed that 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 female students.
