Sindh CM receives 205 Pakistani who returned from Bishkek

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah received 205 stranded Pakistani students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan at Jinnah Terminal on Thursday morning and announced that he was arranging to bring another batch of 180 students of them six were injured within a few days.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah received 205 stranded Pakistani students from Bishkek- Kyrgyzstan on their arrival at Jinnah Terminal. Talking to media he said, “This was a matter of concern not just for families but for the entire Pakistan too. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries established a crisis management cell immediately. “Today, 205 students have arrived, 99 of them are from Karachi,” he said.

Out of 206 students, 150 are male and 55 females. Of 206 students who arrived on Thursday 99 are from Karachi, 22 from Hyderabad, 15 from Naushehroferoze, 13 each from Khairpur and Sukkur, 12 from Shaheed Benazirabad, five each from Jacobabad, Badin and Dadu, three from Sanghar (Tando Adam), and one each from Kandhkot, Tharparkar. The CM said that 180 students were still stranded in Kyrgyzstan, of which 6 were injured. “The Sindh government will bear the expenses of the charter flight to bring the remaining students back,” he vowed.

Shah said that the federal government’s concerned ministries and even Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif were figuring out a way for students to continue their academic journey. He added that Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto used his personal contacts in Kyrgyzstan to ensure students’ safety. He directed him to facilitate the students. At Jinnah Terminal the chief minister interacted with the parents who reached there to receive their children. He assured them that his government was making all-out efforts to continue the education of the students.

25-member committee to evaluate medical education standards notified after Bishkek violence: A 25-member high-powered committee was formally notified on Thursday to assess the standards of medical education and private colleges, admission processes, and reasons for students going abroad for medical education.

The notification was issued under the direction of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will lead the committee. The committee is tasked with compiling a report within 10 days based on five terms of reference (TORs).

The committee will investigate the quality of medical education, admission procedures, standards of private medical colleges, and reasons behind students seeking medical education abroad. Furthermore, the committee will review the current regulatory framework and propose recommendations to improve coordination between the public and private sectors in the medical field.

In the 25-member high-powered committee, federal ministers, members of the National Assembly and heads of medical universities and institutions are included. Key members of the committee are Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar, Health Coordinator Malik Mukhtar Bhatti, National Assembly Member Nafisa Shah, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan, Federal Health Secretary, Special Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), and Chairman of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

The committee will also put forward recommendations for enhancing the quality of medical education in the country. It is worthy to mention that Wednesday, the PM took notice of the Bishkek incident with Pakistani medical students and announced forming the committee to sort out the issue.