With over 1500 Pakistanis stranded in Ukraine, comprising 500 students as well, waiting for the government to facilitate their evacuation from the country where war is intensifying, a crisis is brewing that requires immediate attention and resolution. So far only 35 students have been able to make it to Poland via train from Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv with the remaining still stranded and taking cover in shelters to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. That the Pakistani embassy in Ukraine has advised the remaining students in Kyiv to somehow reach Ternopil, which is close to the Polish border, underscores a lack of understanding and awareness of on-ground conditions and dangers being faced by stranded Pakistanis. In the absence of any reliable transportation, it is near impossible for the students to travel hundreds of kilometers on foot, especially with the risk of falling victim to indiscriminate Russian bombing and shelling on the way. Those lucky few who were able to secure the rare conveyance to the Polish border were reportedly ejected from buses 40 kilometers before the final destination, forcing them to cover the remaining distance on foot.
There have also been reports that many students have been unable to contact the embassy in Ukraine to no avail for days, possibly because it has been moved from Kyiv to Ternopil. It is apparent that a state of confusion and mismanagement prevail in Ukraine with the Foreign office in Pakistan and embassy staff in Ukraine at the center of an avoidable debacle. In stark contrast, India has approached a similar situation much more seriously, preempting the invasion, it was able to evacuate a chunk of its people who were in Ukraine before Russia began its campaign. Yesterday, the Indian government, meeting for a second time in a week to discuss the situation of stranded students, deputed four of its senior ministers to fly to Ukraine’s border nations and coordinate the evacuation effort. Pakistan must do better than this but unfortunately it seems that the Foreign Office, upon which majority of the responsibility falls to find a practical solution, is sleeping at the wheel.
