Karachi: Around 250 Pakistani pilgrims are stranded in Syria due to worsening unrest. Local airline Cham Wings has canceled flights to Lahore and Karachi following the rebels’ closure of the airport.
Pilgrims expressed fear amid gunfire in Damascus’s Sayyidah Zaynab area as tensions rose. Rebels announced control over Damascus and declared the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated a Crisis Management Unit and advised the pilgrims to stay in contact with the embassy for assistance.
The Foreign Office has urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and exercise extreme caution in Syria.
