Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ukraine Dr Noel Israel Khokhar has said the government was working on a safe evacuation of all Pakistanis stranded in Ukraine, as Russia conducts military operation in the Eastern European country, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.

In a statement, the ambassador confirmed that 1,500 Pakistanis in Ukraine – including 500 students – have been asked to move to safe locations.

The envoy’s statement comes following Russia's claim of “successful Day 1 invasion of Ukraine” and its continued attack on its neighbouring country. According to the Ukrainian health ministry, 57 people had been killed and 169 wounded on Thursday.

In view of the prevailing situation, many students -- including Pakistanis, are stranded in Ukraine and asking for help from their government.

In a video widely shared on social media, a student accused the embassy of not providing them with any assistance and instead left them to wait in the airport to be evacuated.

Another person who introduced himself as a final year medical student in Kharkiv, feared the critical situation in the country and said the embassy did not facilitate Pakistanis at this time. He also accused the embassy of lying. The student claimed the embassy asked them to come to Kyiv for evacuation flights, which he did after buying a Rs15,000 ticket, but then the embassy canceled that plan and he has lost money on that ticket.

Another student asked for help, as he had been waiting at the airport for the last seven hours.

These scenes seemed reminiscent of stranded students in Wuhan when the coronavirus first emerged in China, with Pakistani students asking the government for help. The development had caused a sharp response from media and political leaders who blamed the government for "not assisting them". While the situation was dire for the stranded students wanting to return home, the Chinese government had assured Pakistani authorities that they were providing essential facilities to the students in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.

On Friday, Pakistan’s Embassy in Ukraine in a tweet asked Pakistani students to move to Ternopil to enable evacuation as soon as the situation improves.

In an earlier tweet, it had advised the students to remain in their locations till the situation allowed evacuation as Ukraine air space was closed in the wake of aerial strikes by Russia, one of which also hit the airport.

Moreover, it also said the Embassy of Pakistan was fully functional in Ternopil and a focal person was also available to help students.

The announcement read, "Trains are functioning and tickets are available from Kharkiv to Ternopil. In cities where public transport is not available at the moment, all students are informed that the embassy has tasked the honorary education consultant concerned for arranging transportation and bringing students to Ternopil."