Islamabad (National Times) The government has evacuated 71 Pakistanis from Lebanon and Syria as a special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying them arrived in Karachi in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The flight transported sixty-seven Pakistani nationals repatriated from Lebanon who travelled to Damascus by road before being airlifted to Pakistan, said the Foreign Office.

Four other Pakistanis from Syria were also evacuated, according to the FO.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that the security, transport and food arrangements were made by the Pakistan Embassy in Lebanon and Syria to ensure incident-free evacuation through Lebanon.

Upon their arrival, the evacuees were welcomed at the airport by Governor Sindh Kamran Tessori, Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Sindh Industries Minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo.

Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring the safe return of Pakistanis from Lebanon, assuring that the remaining Pakistanis stranded in Lebanon would also be repatriated soon.

He also acknowledged the timely actions of the embassies in facilitating the swift return of the Pakistanis, expressing gratitude that 71 Pakistanis had safely returned from war-hit Lebanon.

Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, speaking at Karachi Airport, stressed that it was a challenging task, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took full responsibility for ensuring the safe return of Pakistani nationals.

Dharejo also praised the role of the Sindh government in this effort.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month activated its Crisis Management Unit (CMU) to assist Pakistani nationals and their families in Lebanon, where they were left trapped due to the suspension of flight operations.