A special plane with 290 students from Pakistan who were stuck in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, landed safely at Bacha Khan Airport in Peshawar early on Wednesday.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government arranged a flight to bring back students from Bishkek to the province. It’s the first of four planned flights. The students’ families and some government officials welcomed them at the airport. The Minister for Higher Education, Meena Khan Afridi, and Adviser Mashal Afridi were also there. They were happy and relieved to see the students return safely.
Minister Meena Afridi talked to the media at the airport. She said the government is committed to helping its citizens abroad. “The students in Kyrgyzstan won’t be left alone during hard times,” she said. “The provincial government is working to bring our children back safely.”
The second special flight with more students from Bishkek is expected to arrive in Peshawar early today. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned four special flights to bring all Pakistani students stuck in Kyrgyzstan back home.
Parents thanked the provincial government for helping. “We’re so happy to have our children back home,” said one parent, tears of joy in her eyes. “We’re thankful to everyone who made this happen.”
Another plane from Bishkek landed at Multan International Airport with 170 passengers and six crew members, according to airport sources. Airport and OPF officials greeted the returning students.
The OPF also gave snacks to the students and arranged transportation for 23 of them to travel outside the city.
On Tuesday, 179 Pakistani students, both boys and girls, came back to Lahore from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The officers and staff of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) warmly welcomed them.
In Islamabad, another group of 347 students from Kyrgyzstan arrived. Among them, 180 students came via a private flight at 5:30 am, and an additional 167 students arrived on a national airline flight. This makes the total number of students returning to Islamabad through five different flights 810.
On May 18, many students, including 14 from Pakistan, were said to be hurt in an attack by locals on foreign students in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as per news reports.
The reports say a big group of local people went into the hostels where foreign medical students stay. They broke things, like windows and glass, and damaged stuff. Students from India, Bangladesh, and Egypt were also hurt badly, including some women students.
