ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s embassy has evacuated 100 Pakistani nationals from Syria through its border with Lebanon, an embassy official said on Tuesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said their return was a “matter of concern” for Islamabad.
More than 1,300 Pakistanis were stranded in Syria last week, when Syrian opposition forces seized the capital of Damascus unopposed following a lightning advance that sent President Bashar Assad fleeing to Russia on Sunday.
Pakistan’s foreign office said these Pakistanis would be evacuated once the Damascus airport reopened, but on Monday, PM Sharif sought his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati’s “personal intervention” in evacuating these Pakistani nationals.
“We have evacuated 100 Pakistanis from the Syria-Lebanon border. There are 80 pilgrims and 20 Pakistani residents,” Muhammad Nafees, an official at the Pakistani embassy in Damascus, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“Embassy officials transported them in buses to the Syria-Lebanon border.”
Officials of the Pakistani embassy in Lebanon received these Pakistani nationals at the border, according to Nafees.
“They are returning to Pakistan on two flights” he shared. “The Pakistan embassy in Syria is working to evacuate all remaining Pakistanis within a couple of days.”
The development came shortly after PM Sharif said around 250 Pakistani pilgrims had recently gone to Syria.
“The pilgrims and other Pakistani teachers and students, their return is a matter of concern and we have to rapidly make arrangements,” the premier said in televised comments after a meeting of his cabinet.
“Apart from the 250 pilgrims, 300 more Pakistanis want to go back to Pakistan. We are concerned about this and have to do arrangements.”
Sharif said the Lebanese premier had assured him of helping Pakistan evacuate its nationals in their telephonic conversation on Monday.
“He said ‘it doesn’t matter if there are visas or not, we will look after them and you should begin the process’,” the Pakistan premier said.
Pakistan’s embassy earlier said Syria’s airports and borders with Jordan and Oman were currently closed, posing a “major challenge” to the repatriation effort.
The embassy said it would accommodate Pakistani nationals at a school run by the mission so they could have a secure place to stay while repatriation flights were arranged.
Pakistani embassy evacuates 100 nationals from Syria via Lebanon border
https://arab.news/pr3hj
Pakistani embassy evacuates 100 nationals from Syria via Lebanon border
- Over 1,300 Pakistanis were stranded in Syria last week, when Syrian opposition forces seized the capital of Damascus
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the return of Pakistanis stranded in Syria is a ‘matter of concern’ for his government
Pakistan’s Punjab launches ‘Green Policing Unit’ with electric patrol fleet amid smog
- Unit to begin operations in Lahore, expand to other districts in phases
- Chief minister says electric fleet will cut fuel costs and carbon emissions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab on Thursday launched the country’s first Green Policing Unit, according to an official statement, introducing electric patrol vehicles as authorities seek to curb fuel use and emissions amid worsening winter smog.
Large parts of Punjab, the country’s most populous province, are engulfed by dense smog every winter as cold, stagnant air traps pollution from vehicle emissions, construction dust , and agricultural fires.
The provincial capital, Lahore, frequently ranks among the world’s most polluted cities during the season. While authorities have previously relied on measures such as anti-smog guns and traffic restrictions, these have offered only temporary relief, leaving residents exposed to hazardous air quality.
“Green policing reflects the vision of clean air and good governance,” Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said after inaugurating the unit.
“The use of electric vehicles will lead to a reduction in fuel costs and result in zero carbon emissions,” she added.
The chief minister inspected the electric patrol vehicles and drove one herself, according to the official statement.
Officials said the Green Policing Unit would initially operate in Lahore, using modern electric vehicles for traffic patrolling.
The vehicles, manufactured by Chinese automaker BYD, have a driving range of about 410 kilometers per charge and can be fast-charged from 30 percent to 80 percent in around 30 minutes, according to a briefing given to the chief minister.
All the electric patrol vehicles are fitted with surveillance systems, public address equipment, police lights, 360-degree cameras, and speed-detection tools.
Officials said conventional police patrol vehicles currently deployed in Lahore consume around 28,000 liters of fuel per month, costing about Rs7.42 million rupees ($26,600).
By contrast, each electric vehicle is expected to save roughly 4,500 liters of fuel annually, lower operational costs and eliminate carbon emissions.
The chief minister directed authorities to gradually expand the number of electric vehicles assigned to the Green Policing Unit and ordered steps to roll out the initiative to other districts of Punjab in phases, the statement added.
