79 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in Syria evacuated to Beirut

In a major development, at least 79 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in conflict-hit Syria evacuated to Beirut, from where they will be brought back to Pakistan, the federal cabinet was informed today. 

The development came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned to form an action plan for the safe evacuation of Pakistanis wishing to return from Syria, via neighbouring countries as soon as possible.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was apprised that out of 250 Pakistani pilgrims in Syria, 79 have reached Beirut.

Additionally, out of 20 Pakistani teachers and students in Syria, seven teachers had also reached Beirut.

The meeting was further informed that the officials of the Pakistani embassies in Syria and Lebanon were taking all possible measures to ensure the safe return of Pakistanis from the conflict-hit country.

A day earlier, PM Shehbaz, in a telephonic conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati, exchanged notes on the evolving situation in Syria.

The premier sought Mikati’s personal intervention and support in facilitating the immediate evacuation of Pakistani nationals, stranded in Syria through Beirut.

Mikati had assured Shehbaz that Lebanon would wholeheartedly welcome Pakistani nationals from Syria and extend all possible support to them in their safe return home.

Meanwhile, Syria’s new interim leader announced taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago.

In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously ran an administration in a small pocket of the northwest controlled by rebels, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1.

“Today we held a cabinet meeting that included a team from the Salvation government that was working in Idlib and its vicinity, and the government of the ousted regime,” he said.

“The meeting was under the headline of transferring the files and institutions to caretake the government.”

In the Syrian capital, banks reopened for the first time since Assad’s overthrow. Shops were also reopening, traffic returned to the roads, construction workers were back fixing a roundabout in the Damascus city centre and street cleaners were out sweeping the streets.

There was a notable decrease in the number of armed men on the streets. Two sources close to the rebels said their command had ordered fighters to withdraw from cities, and for police and internal security forces affiliated with the main rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) to deploy there.

The steps towards normalisation came despite intense airstrikes from Israel targeting bases of the Syrian army, whose forces had melted away in the face of the lightning rebel advance that ousted Assad.

Israel, which has sent forces across the border into a demilitarised zone inside Syria, acknowledged on Tuesday that troops had also taken up some positions beyond the buffer zone, though it denied they were advancing towards Damascus. It mounted airstrikes on bases of the now dissolved Syrian army.

Additional input from Reuters.