Pakistan begins repatriating residents stranded in Afghanistan

Pakistan on Monday said that an operation was underway to repatriate 4,000 of its residents stranded in Kabul due to the cancellation of flights to Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri has said the first batch of Pakistani nationals was repatriated to their home country on Sunday by road via the Torkham border with Afghanistan.

“Our Embassy in Kabul is in contact with the Pakistani nationals stranded in Afghanistan due to suspension of flights to Saudi Arabia,” Chaudhry said in a statement.

“Besides making adequate arrangements for the repatriation of these stranded Pakistanis through Torkham, the Embassy has also made effective arrangements in terms of transport, food, and a cash grant to facilitate the return of these Pakistani nationals to their homes".

In a separate tweet, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan said that an "Operation to send 4000 stranded Pakistanis from Kabul to Pakistan being undertaken by Pakistan Embassy in Kabul."

Thousands of Pakistani citizens have been unable to return home in recent weeks, due to flight cancelations by Middle Eastern airline operators, following recent travel bans in their respective countries.