Kazakhstan denies reports of Pakistani students fleeing to Kazakhstan from Kyrgyzstan

Newswire

Astana: The National Security Committee of Kazakhstan has denied reports about Pakistani students crossing of the border from Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan following unrest in Bishkek.

The National Security Committee in a statement categorically denied the alleged movement of Pakistani students across the border from Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan.

“The media reports about groups of Pakistan students heading to cross the border from Kyrgyzstan into Kazakhstan after unrest in Bishkek do not correspond to reality. The border crossing points function normally. The border guards of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan exchange the information about the situation in Bishkek,” said the report.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed his regret over the unfortunate incident in Bishkek and reaffirmed that the government stands firmly with the victims during this challenging time.

Ishaq Dar confirmed that all Pakistani students are safe and stated that the unfortunate incident stemmed from a misunderstanding, with false information being circulated on social media for political purposes.

Dar said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had activated an emergency unit right after the incident.

Ishaq Dar stated that his Kyrgyz counterpart, Jeenbek Kulubayev, confirmed the situation in Bishkek is peaceful, emphasizing that social media had been used to exaggerate the events.

Dar quoted Kulubayev, noting that 16 foreign students, including four to five Pakistanis, were injured in the Friday attacks. He dismissed reports of alleged deaths as completely false. According to Dar, the Kyrgyz authorities claimed that paid bloggers were spreading rumors to incite violence.