Pakistan embassy says majority of 3,000 students have left Ukraine

Students arrive at the Pakistani embassy's facilitation desk in Lviv, Ukraine on February 26, 2022, to be evacuated to Poland. (Photo Courtesy: Pakistan Embassy in Ukraine Twitter)
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Updated 27 February 2022
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Pakistan embassy says majority of 3,000 students have left Ukraine

  • Ambassador Noel Israel Khokhar informs the embassy is trying to evacuate the remaining Pakistani students
  • The embassy says it is trying to coordinate with other Pakistani diplomatic missions in the region

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan embassy in Ukraine said on Sunday a majority of 3,000 Pakistani students had left the country and the remaining 500 to 600 were being evacuated.

A large number of Pakistani nationals were stranded in the Eastern European state after Russian forces started pounding Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Thursday.

According to Moscow-based Interfax news agency, Russian troops have captured the southeastern city of Melitopol.

“There were about 3,000 Pakistani students in Ukraine,” Pakistan’s ambassador Noel Israel Khokhar said in an audio message posted on the embassy’s Twitter account. “Bulk of them have been evacuated. Only 500-600 students are left. And they are also in the process of being evacuated.”

The embassy announced in a statement that Pakistanis had been evacuated from Ternopil and Lviv to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. It added the country’s diplomatic missions in the region were trying to coordinate with each other.

“The government of Ukraine is dysfunctional, yet the embassy is making all out efforts to facilitate evacuation of Pakistanis from Ukraine,” the statement added.

“There are immense difficulties at border crossing points due to huge number [of people] wanting to leave Ukraine,” the embassy said in a Twitter post.

According to the figures provided by the embassy, 4,000 Pakistani nationals, mostly married to Ukrainians, have already left the country.

The embassy said night curfew had been imposed since the beginning of the conflict in different Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv, Lviv and Ternopil.

It added that Ternopil’s district administration had issued a warning and advised people to keep their lights off and remain in safe places.

“Now, there is no safe place in Ukraine,” the embassy added. “And even cities like Lviv and Ternopil which are in the west of Ukraine have been hit.”


US says trade with Pakistan could top $8 billion in 2025

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US says trade with Pakistan could top $8 billion in 2025

  • US chargé d’affaires links rising trade to deeper economic engagement with Pakistan
  • Visit comes amid broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties 

ISLAMABAD: Trade between the United States and Pakistan is projected to exceed $8 billion in 2025, the US Embassy said on Tuesday, as Washington signaled confidence in Pakistan’s export base and economic potential during a high-profile visit to the industrial city of Sialkot.

The projection was highlighted by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker during meetings with Pakistani exporters and business leaders, underlining the importance Washington places on trade, investment and supply-chain cooperation as the two countries seek to stabilize and expand their economic relationship.

“Highlighting the growth in trade between the United States and Pakistan, which was projected to reach over $8 billion in 2025, Baker said, ‘Expanding trade reflects a strong foundation that highlights the positive impact of US economic engagement in Pakistan and globally. The United States and Pakistan are pursuing a fair and balanced trade relationship that creates prosperity for both our nations’,” the US embassy said in a statement.

The envoy said the United States had been Pakistan’s largest export market and a leading investor, presenting significant opportunities for expanded trade and shared prosperity. 

“The United States remains deeply invested in Pakistan and its people,” Baker said, “building on a partnership that dates back to Pakistan’s independence and continues to grow through trade, innovation, education, and cultural exchange.”

The visit comes amid a broader effort by Islamabad and Washington to improve bilateral ties under US President Donald Trump’s second term, after years of uneven engagement. Since mid-2025, the two sides have stepped up diplomatic contacts, including meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s military leadership and US officials, alongside discussions on trade, minerals, security cooperation and regional stability.

Pakistan has also sought to re-energize economic diplomacy with Washington as it works to boost exports, attract foreign investment and stabilize its economy under an IMF-backed reform program. 

In July 2025, the two countries agreed to a bilateral trade deal that included reciprocal tariff reductions and frameworks for US investment in Pakistan’s energy and mineral sectors, a step Islamabad has hailed as opening new avenues for economic collaboration.

During her visit, Baker toured leading exporters including Forward Sports, First American Corporation (FAC) and CA Sports, companies that are deeply embedded in global supply chains. The embassy said nearly 70 percent of FAC’s exports go to the United States, illustrating sustained US consumer demand for Pakistani-made goods.

Baker also visited Sialkot International Airport and met with the leadership of AirSial, highlighting private-sector-led infrastructure and logistics as key to Pakistan’s export growth.