ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign office on Sunday said it had completed arrangements to repatriate nearly 300 Pakistani citizens, who were stranded in Syria after Israeli airstrikes on Damascus damaged the Syrian capital’s airport.
Syrian authorities confirmed major damage had been inflicted on the Damascus International Airport due to Israeli airstrikes on Friday, which had rendered the airport’s runways out of service.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against its neighbor since 2011, but rarely have such attacks caused major flight disruptions. Pakistan's national flag carrier announced on Saturday it was suspending all flights to Damascus following the Israeli attacks.
On Sunday, the foreign office confirmed around 300 Pakistani nationals were stranded in the civil war-ravaged country after the Israeli attacks.
“Arrangements for repatriation of all Pakistanis have been completed. Our Embassy and PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) are in close coordination,” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, a spokesman for the foreign office, said in a statement.
The spokesman said 160 pilgrims were scheduled to travel to Pakistan from the Aleppo airport through a PIA flight on Monday. The Pakistani embassy in Syria was arranging for their transport from Damascus to Aleppo, he said.
“Remaining 140 Zaireens (pilgrims) will be travelling to Iraq for Pakistan,” Ahmad added.
Hundreds of Pakistanis visit Syria for pilgrimage every year. In May, the PIA started direct flights from Pakistan’s Karachi city to the Syrian capital of Damascus to facilitate the pilgrims.
