Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, announced on Friday (20th August) that a special flight operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will evacuate 350 foreign nationals, Pakistanis, and Afghans.
Despite the instability in Afghanistan, the PIA is actively operating from Kabul, having evacuated 1,100 people in two days and with more such flights on the way. Given the high demand, the national flag airline expanded the number of flights from five to fourteen for this week. To evacuate as many people as possible, it has also switched from smaller Airbus A320 planes too much larger Boeing 777 planes.
Ambassador Ahmad assured the evacuees by saying that the vehicles will directly take everyone to the Hamid Karzai International Airport. The boarding pass will also be arranged and after reaching Pakistan, everyone will be allowed to leave for their desire destination.
He also stated that Pakistan’s government would continue to assist members of the international community in their time of need. He went on to say that two special flights had arrived today to evacuate the foreign nationals and that two more would arrive tomorrow, and so on.
The ambassador further requested everyone to be patient and cooperate with the staff of the embassy so that transport to Pakistan can be ensured in a secure manner.
It has also been reported that the PIA now coordinates with AFCENT while resuming operations in Kabul. The ambassador added that the first flight since the Taliban takeover has already arrived in Kabul, and it is planned to transport roughly 320 World Bank employees to Pakistan.
The evacuation operation began after panic-stricken foreign missions, as well as several world organizations and enterprises stationed in Kabul expressed their intention to leave the country. To aid with this endeavor, the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul promptly contacted Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry praised the PIA’s efforts, saying that Pakistan’s admirable evacuation efforts are continuing as the PIA resumed operations.
Further on, Fawad Chaudhry also tweeted about the 350 Foreign Nationals arriving in Pakistan Today.
