ISLAMABAD  -  All Pakistani nationals in Syria are safe and have been advised to exercise caution, the Foreign Office said yesterday.  “We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Syria,” the Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

She added that the Embassy of Pakistan in Syria was open for support and advice. “As of now Damascus Airport is closed. Our embassy remains in contact with stranded Pakistani nationals including Zaireen (devotees). It will facilitate their return once the airport opens,” the spokesperson said.

She said Pakistan had always supported unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and “there is no change in our principled position.”

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan on the unfolding situation in Syria.

During the conversation, the Deputy PM shared the details of the efforts by the Government of Pakistan for the safety and security of its nationals in Syria.

They also discussed possible cooperation between the two countries for the safety of the Pakistan nationals, the Foreign Office said.

After a period of relative calm, fresh clashes between Bashar al-Assad regime forces and anti-regime groups had reignited on November 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo.

Over 10 days, opposition forces launched a lightning offensive, capturing key cities and then the capital Damascus. The rapid advance, supported by defecting military units, led to the collapse of the Assad regime after 13 years of civil war.

FO activates unit to facilitate Pakistanis in Syria

In view of the ongoing developments and evolving situation in Syria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday activated its Crisis Management Unit to facilitate Pakistanis in Syria.

The ministry also asked the Pakistani nationals in Syria and their families to contact the CMU at the telephone numbers and Email addresses provided on official websites.

“Meanwhile the Pakistan Embassy in Damascus remains actively engaged to facilitate Pakistani nationals in Syria,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office said.