The Foreign Office has confirmed that all Pakistani nationals in Syria are safe, following recent clashes and the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s government. However, nearly 250 Pakistani pilgrims are stranded in Syria due to canceled flights to Lahore and other cities. The Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said the situation is being closely monitored.
She stated that the Pakistan Embassy in Syria remains open to provide support and advice to the stranded nationals. Currently, Damascus Airport is closed, but the embassy is in contact with the Pakistani citizens, including the pilgrims, and will help them return once the airport reopens.
Baloch also emphasized that Pakistan has always supported Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and that position has not changed.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, spoke by phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the situation in Syria. During the call, Dar shared the efforts being made by Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens in Syria, and the two discussed potential cooperation between their countries to protect Pakistani nationals.
In another development, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have reportedly arrived in Russia and been granted asylum. Russian news agencies quoted a source as saying that Assad and his family were given asylum on humanitarian grounds. The Russian Foreign Ministry called for all parties involved in the Syrian conflict to resolve their differences through peaceful, political means, and urged them to avoid violence.
Russia also stated that its military bases in Syria are on high alert, but there is no immediate threat to them. The Russian Embassy in Damascus confirmed that its staff are safe and that they had advised Russian citizens to leave Syria amid the ongoing unrest.