ISLAMABAD, JUL 17 (DNA) – The Foreign Office has said that all Pakistani stuck in Istanbul have been brought home safely.

“The Pakistanis stuck in Istanbul, in the wake of recent developments in Turkey, have all been facilitated in their expedited and safe return to Pakistan, said a press release on Sunday.

The Pakistan Embassy and Consulate General in Istanbul immediately established two Emergency Help Lines and deputed a team of officers at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul.

The Missions liaised closely with the Turkish Airlines (THY) and arranged deployment of bigger aircraft and additional flights to bring back these Pakistani nationals numbering several hundred.

Accordingly, a total of four Turkish Airlines flights were operated last night (16 July) to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. This Office had kept the media and the public abreast.

We are grateful for the cooperation and assistance extended to our Missions by the Turkish Airlines and the other relevant Turkish authorities.

As a result of these intense efforts, the backlog of Pakistanis in transit has been fully cleared and several hundred Pakistani nationals have safely travelled back to Pakistan.

With the Turkish Airlines assuming completely normal operations, the residual issues, if any, would also be resolved.

The Prime Minister, who had issued special instructions to assist the Pakistanis stuck in transit at Turkish Airports, was kept in picture by the Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tariq Fatemi.”=DNA

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