ANKARA, 6 April 2020: 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.
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
