Govt Seeks to Evacuate Pakistanis from Libya

ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: With the situation in Libya deteriorating in recent days, the Pakistani mission there has been working to evacuate up to 6,000 citizens to neighbouring Tunisia for repatriation to Pakistan.

A statement from the Foreign Office on Monday evening said that the Pakistani embassy in Libya was in touch with the Pakistani community there and were making arrangements to evacuate between 3,000-6,000 citizens.

Clashes in troubled Libya have intensified over the week with a depot near the airport in Tripoli set ablaze over the weekend during clashes between rival groups. Citizens of a number of countries have been advised to leave as the situation turns tense, but evacuation has proved tricky with airports closed.

Since no airport in Libya is currently functioning, the government is working on arranging on-arrival visas for Pakistanis at the Tunisian border. Once in Tunisia, these Pakistanis can then be repatriated to Pakistan.

“Our Embassy in Tripoli has already registered a large number of Pakistanis and referred their documents to Tunisian authorities for visa on arrival,” the statement read.

The foreign office advised all Pakistanis in Libya to contact the embassy in Tripoli and Tunisia and inform the officials about their location and get registered.

Pakistan Embassy can be contacted on the following help lines:
–         No. 00218 922379368 (Ayaz Khan)
–         No. 00218 922555216 (Kamran)
–         No. 00218 213610937
–         No. 00218 213616581 (0900 to 1600 hours)