Authorities in Pakistan on Sunday rushed to evacuate citizens stranded in Kabul. Two PIA aircraft that had been stuck at Kabul airport with a total of 499 passengers on board, were finally permitted to fly and arrived in Islamabad, a private news channel reported on Sunday evening.
One is a Boeing 777 which has 329 passengers, while the other is an Airbus 320 with 170 passengers.
According to PIA, three flights will be operated between Islamabad and Kabul on Monday as well, as there is a large volume of Pakistanis and other nationals looking to leave Kabul. Earlier in the day, Ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan Mansoor Ahmed Khan had tweeted that the embassy is “engaged with PIA to accomodate Pakistanis on regular and additional flights”. “We are also assisting those who have issue of affordability. Contact the Embassy,” he said.
The Civil Aviation Authority, in a statement on Sunday, said special permission has been accorded for the return of Pakistanis from Afghanistan without the mandatory negative PCR test for coronavirus. “As informed by our mission in Kabul, the current situation in Afghanistan has necessitated imminent repatriation of Pakistani nationals residing in Afghanistan,” read the CAA statement. It said that Pakistani travellers be allowed to arrive without the possession of mandatory negative PCR test results