ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar has said that the government is duty-bound to evacuate stranded Pakistanis from Libya.
Chairing a meeting for the provision of funds for immediate evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from Libya, Dar said that a local airline had agreed to evacuate each individual for $1,000. “This seems to be the only available option under the present situation recommended by the Pakistani Embassy Libya,” he said.
The finance minister, in consultation with the prime minister, ordered the release of Rs 400 million to the embassy to repatriate 5,700 Pakistanis from Libya.
The meeting was also informed that the embassy was providing essential food to the people in camps.
Muhammad Ali Gardezi, the secretary of aviation division, informed the meeting that the PIA would be engaged in hajj flights from August 28 and would not be able to evacuate Pakistanis.
The meeting was also attended by Finance Secretary Dr Waqar Masood, Secretary of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Raja Hasan Abbas, adviser to Finance Ministry Rana Assad Amin, Additional Finance Secretary Shahid Mahmood, OPF Managing Director Habibur Rehman Khan and senior officials of the ministries of finance and foreign affairs.
