Around 350 Pakistani nationals including 245 pilgrims, who were stranded in Syria, have crossed the Lebanon border. Hundreds of Pakistani pilgrims are still trapped in Syria following the crisis triggered by the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government. The Foreign Office said in a statement that under the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Embassy of Pakistan in Damascus facilitated the repatriation process. Deputy Head of Mission in Syria Umar Hayat accompanied the Pakistani nationals to the border, as Deputy Head of Mission in Beirut, Nawab Adil, received fellow citizens in Lebanon.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)