A chartered plane carrying 318 Pakistani nationals, who had been evacuated from Syria to Lebanon the day before, landed in Islamabad on Friday morning.
Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, were at the airport to welcome the repatriated citizens.
On the orders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the NDMA, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a detailed plan to safely evacuate Pakistanis from Syria.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said the safe return of Pakistanis from Syria was a top priority for the government. He praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistani embassies in Syria and Lebanon, and NDMA officials for their quick action in ensuring the safe evacuation of citizens.
The Prime Minister also thanked Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati for his government's support and cooperation in helping evacuate the Pakistanis through Beirut.
The Prime Minister further instructed authorities to continue efforts to bring more Pakistani citizens back from Syria.
