Pakistani evacuees from Libya complain of Pak embassy’s non-cooperation
By ANITuesday, March 1, 2011
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani nationals who came back from Libya have complained of the Pakistan embassy’s non-cooperation during the difficult time when they were stranded in the strife-torn country.
A Turkish Airlines flight landed at the Lahore Airport with 174 Pakistanis evacuated from Libya, Dunya News reported.
The passengers said that they were evacuated via Turkish Airlines but the Pakistani embassy in Libya did not cooperate with them.
They were sitting hungry and thirsty at the airport for the last three days, the passengers added. Some of them said that they were even tortured in Libya.
Provincial Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor received the passengers, and they were seen off to their hometowns in buses provided by the Punjab Government.
On Monday, Pakistan finally joined the long list of countries undertaking mass evacuations of their nationals from turmoil-hit Libya by arranging two chartered flights.
“Our Missions in the region have clear instructions from the Foreign Ministry to facilitate early and safe repatriation of Pakistani expatriates to Pakistan,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
The Pakistan embassy officials are working with the local authorities in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Turkey to ensure prompt repatriation, especially of those Pakistanis who have arrived without proper documentation and passports, the statement added.
The Foreign Office also said that embassy officials had been sent to the Libyan border to receive arriving Pakistanis. (ANI)
