Islamabad, April 06, 2020 (PPI-OT): The Embassy of Pakistan Ankara as well as the Consulate General Istanbul are in close contact with the local Pakistani community members as well as Pakistani students in Turkey to ensure their safety and welfare in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, says a press release received here today from Ankara, Turkey. We are fully cognizant of the concerns being raised by some Pakistani students in Turkey, in particular with regard to the suspension of flight operations. We will once again urge patience and understanding of the entire Pakistani student community in Turkey in view of the unprecedented global challenge that has impacted all countries.
The Embassy would like to reiterate its earlier advisory to all Pakistani students to follow the local safety regulations, and strictly avoid any travel. Embassy’s previous advisories to the students in this regard are available on its official website (http://www.pakembassyankara.com) as well as twitter handle (@PakTurkey). In this regard, we take note of a news item published by a newspaper in Pakistan on stranded Pakistani students in Turkey in which a couple of Pakistani students were quoted as claiming that they were advised by the Consulate General Istanbul to travel from another city to board the special PIA flight on Friday, 3 April.
The Embassy would like to clarify that the Pakistani nationals repatriated on the special PIA flight on Friday included tourists and visitors on short-term visas as well as Pakistanis who had earlier been left stranded at the Istanbul International Airport after suspension of flight operations. Contrary to the claims, no Pakistani student in Turkey was advised to travel to Istanbul to board the special flight. There are currently no further updates regarding any special flight operations to Pakistan.
All Pakistani students are requested to follow the official twitter handle of the Embassy of Pakistan – @PakTurkey – for any information with regard to the resumption of flight operations to Pakistan or any related development. The Embassy, moreover, is in touch with the local universities to help address certain practical difficulties being faced by some of our students as a result of the recent safety and health regulations/measures, and reported disruption of some campus services.
The Embassy would like to take this opportunity to express its gratitude to several Turkish universities for their support in helping address many of these issues, including through provision of alternative accommodation to many students after the closure of some university dormitories.
Pakistani students are requested to use the following emergency helpline numbers and email addresses to bring to Embassy’s notice any problems being faced by them at their respective universities so that they may be taken up appropriately: Embassy of Pakistan Ankara, Telephone +90 531 496 6399, +90 537 367 9845 Email parepankara@mofa.gov.pk , parepankara.consular@yahoo.com, parepankara@yahoo.com. Consulate General of Pakistan Istanbul, Telephone +90 533 022 4695, +90 552 634 3774 Email parepistanbul@mofa.gov.pk, consulgeneral@pakconsulateistanbul.com.
For more information, contact:
Principal Information Officer,
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +92-51-9252323, +92-51-9252324
Fax: +92-51-9252325, +92-51-9252326
Email: piopid@gmail.com
Website: www.pid.gov.pk