Bishkek, 22 May 2024(TDI): Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday to address concerns of young nationals from his country enrolled in various educational institutions in the Central Asian state who faced mob violence last week.
The violence began in Bishkek on Friday night after videos of a brawl between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral on social media, prompting groups of residents to target university hostels and private lodgings of international students, including those from Pakistan.
According to official figures, Kyrgyzstan has enrolled about 10,000 Pakistani students, with nearly 6,000 studying in Bishkek.
The frenzied violence forced them to confine themselves for several hours in their rooms without food and drinking water, with many of them making evacuation requests online.
Dar, who is also the foreign minister of Pakistan, held a meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart in Kazakhstan on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.
“Deputy Prime Minister Dar visits Bishkek Hospital, Kyrgyz Republic for a working visit,” Pakistan’s foreign office announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev invited him to visit the Kyrgyz Republic after their meeting yesterday in Astana, Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.
The two Ministers traveled together from Astana to Bishkek.”
“In Bishkek, the Deputy Prime Minister will discuss with the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister the concerns of Pakistani nationals in the Kyrgyz Republic, including the recent issues faced by Pakistani students,” it added.
Last week’s violence injured five Pakistani nationals. Four people provided first aid and then they were released. However, the hospital admitted one student with more severe injuries.
Also read: Deputy Prime Minister Dar meets Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister
Pakistan has so far repatriated over 1,000 students from Bishkek after the mob violence via various flights.
The evacuation process continues even as officials of the two countries try to sort things out.
The most recent flight carrying about 170 Pakistani students arrived in Multan on Wednesday morning.
