Pakistani students studying in Kyrgyzstan have begun returning home after violent clashes left several individuals injured.
The first special flight carrying more than 180 passengers, including the students, landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was present at the airport to welcome the students.
The airport management had set up separate counters in the international arrival lounge for the passengers of the flight. According to one of the injured students, the altercation began when a group of Egyptian students assaulted some local students.
The video of the incident circulated widely on social media, sparking the locals to attack foreign students. The student further clarified that none of the Pakistani students were involved in the fight with the Kyrgyz students.
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The father of one of the students informed reporters that Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Hasan Zaigham, did not answer his calls when he tried to inform him about his son’s situation. His son was stranded in a room at the time.
Around 10,000 students were studying in Kyrgyzstan, said the student. He added that some locals helped them reach the airport amid reports of taxi drivers assaulting students.
He disagreed with the university head’s statement that the situation was under control. The student clarified that he paid for his own travel expenses and there was no government involvement.
