450 pilgrims return from Iran
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said hundreds of Zaireen evacuated from Iran and Iraq so far. PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN
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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that 450 Pakistani pilgrims have been successfully evacuated from Iran, stating that the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Pakistani nationals in the region.
In a statement released on X on Sunday, Dar said the evacuation of 450 Pakistani pilgrims from Iran was completed on Saturday. He added that arrangements are also being made for the safe evacuation of the first batch of 154 Pakistani students stranded in Iran.
The foreign minister further stated that efforts are underway to evacuate and ensure the safe accommodation of Pakistanis stranded in Iraq.
"Our embassy in Iraq is in contact with Pakistani Zaireen who are stranded due to the closure of airspace. Measures are underway to ensure their safe stay in Iraq and possible evacuation," said Dar. A 24-hour Crisis Management Unit (CMU) is active at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist Pakistani nationals. The CMU can be reached at +92 51-9207887 or via email at cmu1@mofa.gov.pk. "Our embassies in the region are closely coordinating all necessary efforts to support Pakistani nationals and Zaireen," he added.
In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched an attack on Iran, targeting the country's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military personnel. The assault marked the beginning of what Israel described as a prolonged military engagement, carried out under the pretext of preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Seventy-eight people, including six nuclear scientists and senior generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed in the attack. The semi-official Tasnim news agency identified the scientists as Abdulhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Seyyed Amirhossein Faqhi, Motablizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi.
Iranian ballistic missile attacks killed three people and injured at least 91 across central Israel, in response to Israeli airstrikes targeting key nuclear and military sites inside Iran.
In the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, nine buildings were destroyed and hundreds of apartments were damaged, Haaretz reported. Approximately 400 residents were evacuated from the Greater Tel Aviv area due to structural damage.
Visuals showed widespread devastation, including vehicles set ablaze and residential blocks flattened.
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