All Pakistani nationals stranded in Syria safe, says foreign office
2024-12-08 19:16:00
Foreign Office on Sunday confirmed that all Pakistani nationals were safe in Syria and were advised to exercise caution as the country grapples with worsening turmoil following the lightning offensive by rebels that resulted in the ouster of President Bashar-al Assad.
Almost 250 Pakistani pilgrims have been stranded in turmoil-hit country as flights to Lahore and other cities have been cancelled by the airlines.
In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Syria.”
She said that the Pakistan embassy in Syria was open for support and advice.
“As of now Damascus Airport is closed. Our embassy remains in contact with stranded Pakistani nationals including Zaireen. It will facilitate their return once the airport opens.”
She further said that Pakistan had always supported unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and there was no change in its principled position.
Dar, Turkey’s FM hold telephonic conversation
In addition to this, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held telephonic conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the unfolding situation in Syria.
During the telephonic conversation, the deputy PM shared the details of the efforts made by the Pakistan’s government for the safety and security of its nationals in Syria.
They also discussed possible cooperation between the two countries for the safety of the Pakistan nationals.
On the other hand, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia and have been granted asylum by the Russian authorities, Russian news agencies reported, citing a Kremlin source.
The Interfax news agency quoted the unnamed source as saying: “President Assad of Syria has arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them (him and his family) asylum on humanitarian grounds.”
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said: “We urge all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and to resolve all issues of governance through political means,” the statement said.
“In that regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition.”
It said Russia’s military bases in Syria had been put on a state of high alert, but that there was no serious threat to them at the current time.
It said it was also doing all it could to ensure the safety of Russian citizens in Syria, whom the embassy on Friday advised to leave the country. The Russian Embassy in Damascus told the state TASS news agency on Sunday that its staff were “fine”.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels announced a curfew in Damascus starting 4pm local time until 5am.
— Additional input from Reuters.
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