2,000 Pakistani students evacuated from Iran, NA told

• Embassy shifted 150km from Tehran
• Airfare surge raises concern among lawmakers
• No mass evacuation needed from Middle East, panel on overseas Pakistanis told
• NA passes Danish University bill after suspending rules on private members’ day
• PPP opposes move to try snatching murders in anti-terror courts

ISLAMABAD: Around 2,000 Pakistani students have been evacuated from Iran amid tensions in the Middle East, the National Assembly was informed on Tuesday.

Responding to a calling-attention notice moved by Natasha Daultana and others, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said the Pakistani embassy had been shifted 150 kilometres away from Tehran, where high-profile buildings were under attack.

He said the situation in Iran was chaotic, with oil refineries also coming under attack. “Our embassy and two consulates in Iran are working round the clock to provide all possible support and emergency assistance to Pakistani nationals,” he said.

The minister said crisis management cells had been established at Pakistani missions in Iran, receiving around 500 calls daily.

He claimed that most Pakistani students had been evacuated, but did not specify how many remained in the country despite a question from Ms Daultana, who said reports suggested that around 35,000 Pakistani students were in Iran.

NA committee briefing

Separately, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that no mass evacuation of Pakistani nationals from the Middle East was currently required.

The head of MoFA’s Crisis Management Cell briefed the committee on the number of Pakistanis stranded in various countries due to the regional conflict and on efforts to facilitate their return.

The meeting, chaired by PPP MNA Syed Agha Rafiullah, also expressed concern over the sharp rise in airline fares, particularly by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The ministry official informed the committee that Pakistanis were facing fuel shortages and transport problems in various countries, adding that the absence of public transport had created further difficulties for them.

“Gulf missions reported large registered populations but comparatively manageable evacuee numbers,” read a statement issued by the NA Secretariat.

“The mission in Qatar recorded over 10,000 registrations with 215 people classified as actively stranded (most being assisted), and the mission in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported over 8,500 registrations, including 4,543 Pakistani passengers in transit; and 4,400 of these have left UAE via 40 commercial flights,” it stated.

The MoFA official told the meeting that the number of Pakistanis in Azerbaijan was not huge. Facilities have been provided to 113 Pakistanis, while 58 have already returned to Pakistan.

An official of the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi also briefed the National Assembly’s panel and said that 14 Pakistanis departed from Dubai and six from Sharjah through flights on Monday. A few Pakistanis were repatriated to Pakistan on medical grounds, the official noted.

The committee was informed that around 2.5 million Pakistanis live in Saudi Arabia, where the situation was tense but stable.

Noting that around 350,000 Pakistanis reside in Qatar, the ministry said the situation was stable, although some concerns remained. For a possible evacuation, 10,188 Pakistanis have registered with the mission.

The committee was told that the situation in Kuwait — where 101,976 Pakistanis live — was tense but under control.

In Oman, where around 382,000 Pakistanis reside, the situation was stable. Oman’s airspace was open, and flights to Pakistan by PIA, AirSial, SalamAir, and Oman Air were operating.

Danish University bill

Meanwhile, the National Assembly also passed the Danish University Islamabad Bill on Tuesday, after suspending the rules of private members’ day.

The bill seeks to establish a flagship public-sector university focused on information technology, emerging sciences and interdisciplinary research.

The proposed model aims to provide fully funded, high-quality education to talented students across Pakistan, with facilities comparable to leading private institutions.

An interesting exchange took place in the House when a PPP leader opposed a bill seeking to make murders during mobile phone and purse snatching incidents triable by anti-terrorism courts (ATCs).

The bill, moved by MQM-P’s Khawaja Izharul Hasan, was supported by Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhary. However, PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar objected, saying ATCs had been established for a specific purpose and that murder was a normal crime.

“That is not the scheme of things,” he said, opposing the proposal to try such cases in anti-terrorism courts. The chair deferred the bill until the next session after the government agreed to review the matter.

The lower house also passed several other bills that had earlier been approved by the Senate.

The assembly also unanimously adopted a resolution on International Women’s Day, recognising the contributions of women and girls to Pakistan’s social, political and economic development.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2026