ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said on Monday it was making arrangements for evacuating through Tunisia thousands of Pakistanis stranded in violence-hit Libya.

“Our Embassy in Tripoli has already registered a large number of Pakistanis and referred their documents to Tunisian authorities for visa on arrival,” a Foreign Office statement said.

Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz said in a statement in the National Assembly that efforts were being made to evacuate the Pakistanis stranded in Libya.

He said the country’s ambassador would remain in Tripoli till last of the Pakistanis had been evacuated.

Documents referred to Tunisian authorities for visa

The Foreign Office estimates that there could be up to 6,000 Pakistanis in Libya needing evacuation.

With Libyan airports closed because of the conflict, people are leaving the country through land routes.

“Since no Libyan airport is operating at the moment, our Embassy in Tunisia is making arrangements for Pakistanis to get Tunisian visa on arrival at the border from where they will be able to take flights for Pakistan,” the FO said.

It advised Pakistanis in Libya to get themselves registered with the embassy in Tripoli so that they could be included in the evacuation plan.

About 200 people have been killed in the past two weeks in fighting between rival militias in Tripoli and Benghazi.

Situation in Libya has been deteriorating for two months and many countries have already evacuated their nationals from the country.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2014