ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Ambassador to Syria Waheed Ahmad has said that only a hundred plus Pakistanis were left in Syria, a majority are them bonded by inter-marriages, who were in contact with the embassy.
The embassy was trying to ascertain what kind of help it could provide them, Waheed Ahmad said while talking to a private news channel. He said that nearly 500 Pakistanis had returned prior to the worsening situation but as the uncertainty increased, even more had returned to Pakistan. The ambassador said that the situation in Syria had led to a decline in the number of Pakistani pilgrims but it had not completely halted their movement. He said, “The pilgrims contact us only when they are in some sort of trouble. Otherwise, they go back after performing their pilgrimage.”
Tour operators are also sending pilgrims in smaller numbers and we discourage intending pilgrims whenever they contact us, Ahmad added. He said no serious harm had befallen the Pakistanis but in the beginning of the year, a Pakistani pilgrim had met with an accident and lost his life. The embassy made arrangements to transfer the body to Pakistan, and there were no more reports of any such deaths, he added.