A special chartered flight left Tripoli this morning to bring back hundreds of stranded Pakistanis to Lahore. This is the fourth special flight organized, thus far, to evacuate Pakistanis from Libya, where security situation has deteriorated rapidly in the last few months, following the commencement of hostilities among rival militias. Thousand of Pakistanis were displaced trying to flee from the rampant violence and have got stranded. To provide relief to these compatriots, the Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli has set up various relief camps presently housing over 3000 nationals.
Besides three PIA flights already operated, special chartered flights have now been arranged, since the commencement of Hajj season has limited PIA’s ability to operate flights to Libya. The Embassy in Tripoli has devised a transparent registration mechanism to queue up the stranded Pakistanis for the ongoing chartered flights, which are likely to run on a daily basis during the next 10 days.
Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) has been advised to facilitate the arrival of the evacuated Pakistanis and provide them all support for onward travel. OPF has set up a focal point in the Foundation, accordingly, and facilitation desks will be operated at the respective airports.
It may be recalled that a Crisis Management Cell had been set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize the massive relief and evacuation operation for over 6000 Pakistanis severely affected by the current spate of instability and violence in Libya. The smooth functioning of the ongoing effort has been greatly helped by the excellent cooperation provided by the Ministry of Finance, Aviation Division, and OPF, in keeping with the Prime Minister’s instructions.
Islamabad
2 September, 2014
