"We are working hard to ensure [the students'] safe return and our embassies are playing a key role. You must have seen videos of our embassy [in Lviv] helping Indian students fleeing Ukraine where they were provided food. They are kids in distress due to war and we helped them whatever was possible on a humanitarian basis," the foreign minister said.
In a video which has gone viral, Indian students in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, can be seen amid Pakistani students at the embassy. There were reportedly no Indian officials present, so the Pakistani Embassy had stepped in to help.
“You can see these all are Pakistani students here. We are four Indians only and the rest are Pakistanis," one student can be heard saying in the video.
FM Qureshi also said that he had spoken with the foreign ministers of Romania, Hungary, and Poland regarding the safe evacuation of Pakistani students.
“I talked with the Romanian foreign minister and sought an update from him on the latest situation of the conflict. Romania has a long 400-mile border with Ukraine and my discussion was focused on the assistance of our students fleeing war," he said.
The Pakistani Embassy this week said that there was 'no safe place' in Ukraine, as Russia continued its invasion of the country. While the Embassy reported it was facilitating evacuations out of Ukraine, many students reported that they felt Pakistani officials had not done enough to ensure their safety.