FM suggests de-escalation in phone talks with Ukrainian Counterpart | Expresses ‘serious concern’ over crisis | 125 Pakistanis evacuated from war-hit Ukraine
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday held a telephonic conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and “underscored the importance of de-escalation”.
In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Qureshi “shared Pakistan’s perspective in detail, reiterating serious concern at the situation, underscoring the importance of de-escalation, and stressing the indispensability of diplomacy”.
Qureshi also noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his recent visit to Moscow, had regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine and said that Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict.
“[Qureshi] stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that developing countries were always hit the hardest economically in case of conflict. The foreign minister underlined Pakistan’s belief that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” the FO statement said.
FM Qureshi also discussed the evacuation of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine with his counterpart.
“He appreciated the role played by the Ukrainian authorities in the evacuation process and asked for continued facilitation and smooth border crossing at the earliest possible,” the FO said, adding that the two ministers agreed to remain in contact.
During the Moscow visit, PM Imran had conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he regretted the situation developing between Russia and Ukraine, adding that Islamabad had hoped that military conflict could be averted through a diplomatic solution.
A communiqué issued after the meeting between the two leaders stated that the prime minister stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that developing countries were always hardest hit economically in case of conflict. “He underlined Pakistan’s belief that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.”
Meanwhile, The Pakistan Embassy in Ukraine stated on Sunday that Ambassador Dr Noel Khokhar met with the deputy internal affairs minister of Ukraine to discuss the facilitation of evacuation for Pakistani citizens from the war-hit country.
A statement released by the embassy stated that they had requested a meeting with the commander of border points for the Ukraine-Poland border to highlight the issue of Pakistanis stuck on the Ukrainian side awaiting exit.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalates, the embassy has provided updates regarding their evacuation efforts. The body stated that 125 Pakistani citizens have been successfully evacuated so far, while 376 have reached the Ukraine-Poland border, four are at the Ukraine-Romania border and nine at the Ukraine-Hungary border.
According to the statement, the Pakistan mission has been providing accommodation to students in Ternopil and transportation wherever possible, especially from Lviv to the border crossings.
The embassy reported that a night curfew has been imposed in the cities of Kharkiv, Lviv and Ternopil, while the capital city Kyiv is under a 24-hour curfew.
Due to the increased conflict, the embassy stated that “there is no safe place in Ukraine” and the Ternopil district administration issued a warning on Saturday to civilians to keep lights off.
As cities in Western Ukraine, previously believed to be safe experience heightened encounters, including Lviv and Ternopil, the embassy highlighted that “the majority of students from Kharkiv have already reached Lviv and have departed for the Poland border”.
Furthermore, Pakistanis are being evacuated from Ternopil and Lviv to Poland, Hungry, Slovakia and Romania as the embassy is coordinating with respective Pakistan missions.
Data provided by the embassy states that 35 students from Kharkiv have been received by Lviv Facilitation Desk alongside three students from other cities.
Thirty students from Kharkiv are currently in transit to Lviv via train, which is estimated to arrive later in the afternoon, while seven students have reached Ternopil.
The Pakistan Embassy of Ukraine reiterated its resolve to conduct all possible efforts to ensure the safe evacuation of Pakistani citizens.
“The government of Ukraine is dysfunctional, yet the embassy is making all-out efforts to facilitate the evacuation of Pakistanis from Ukraine,” it added.
Two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft would fly to Poland on Sunday (today) to evacuate the Pakistanis stranded because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, a spokesperson for the national-flag carrier said on Saturday.
Spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said that the PIA had drawn up a flight plan to evacuate Pakistani nationals. “The preparations have been made to send two flights to Poland from Pakistan on Sunday,” he said, adding that the departure of flights depended on the arrival of Pakistani citizens in Poland. –Agencies
