ISLAMABAD: The PIA flight on Monday evacuated 165 Pakistani nationals from Syria after last week’s Israeli, through a special flight from Aleppo, a PIA spokesperson said.
PIA made the arrangements after the South Asian country’s ambassador to Syria requested the evacuation.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Syria since 2011, though rarely have such attacks caused major flight disruptions.
After the attacks last week, Pakistan’s national flag carrier announced the suspension of all flights to Damascus following the attacks.
“A PIA flight en route from the Syrian city of Aleppo has landed in Karachi,”
A PIA spokesperson said that a flight carrying 165 passengers from Aleppo arrived in Karachi at 11pm on Monday.
According to the foreign office of Pakistan, nearly 300 Pakistani citizens are stranded in Syria after the Israeli airstrikes.
A picture taken on February 19, 2020, shows the arrivals gate at Aleppo airport in the eponymous northern Syrian city. (AFP/FILE)
On Sunday, around 160 pilgrims were scheduled to travel to Pakistan from Aleppo airport via PIA flight.
The foreign office added that the remaining 140 pilgrims would be traveling to Iraq. Hundreds of Pakistanis visit Syria for pilgrimage every year, and in May, PIA started direct flights from Pakistan’s Karachi city to Damascus, Syria to make travel easier for pilgrims.
