Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the authorities to formulate an action plan for the safe evacuation of Pakistanis wishing to return from Syria via neighbouring countries as soon as possible.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left office on Sunday and fled the country after being ousted by Syrian rebels, who ended the 50-year Assad dynasty in a lightning offensive that has raised fears of a new wave of instability in the Middle East.
The Foreign Office (FO) had last week activated its Crisis Management Unit (CMU) to facilitate Pakistanis in Syria and advised them to “exercise extreme caution and remain in contact with the Embassy of Pakistan in Damascus”. A day ago, it said that it was closely monitoring the evolving situation.
“Pakistani nationals are safe in Syria and have been advised to exercise caution. The Embassy of Pakistan in Syria is open for support and advice.
“As of now Damascus Airport is closed. Our embassy remains in contact with stranded Pakistani nationals, including Zaireen. It will facilitate their return once the airport opens,” the FO had said in a statement.
Chairing a meeting today to review the current situation in Syria and the safe evacuation of Pakistanis from the country, PM Shehbaz said: “All possible steps should be taken to ensure the safe evacuation of Pakistanis from Syria.
“The safety of Pakistanis’ lives and property in Syria is our top priority,” the prime minister said while instructing officials to utilise all available resources for the purpose.
He also directed the Pakistan Embassy in Damascus to establish an information desk and a helpline to facilitate the Pakistanis.
The prime minister ordered that until the security situation improved, the FO CMU and information desks at Pakistani embassies in Syria and its neighbouring countries should remain operational round-the-clock.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, and other senior officials.
Syria’s war has killed more than 500,000 people and forced half of the population to flee their homes.
Assad’s reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of Assad family rule with a lightning rebel offensive that broke long-frozen frontlines in Syria’s civil war.
HTS is rooted in Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch but broke ties with the group in 2016. The group and its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, are under EU sanctions.
They announced on Sunday they had taken Damascus and that Assad fled, prompting nationwide celebrations and a ransacking of Assad’s luxurious home.
A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies the deposed leader and family were now in Moscow.
Syria transition must ensure ‘accountability’ for past crimes: UN
Meanwhile, the UN rights chief said that any political transition in Syria following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad must include accountability for him and others behind crimes committed under his rule.
“Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations and guarantee that those responsible are held to account,” Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva.
Asked about whether Assad was among those who should be brought to account, he said the “former president of Syria and whoever was in senior leadership positions, there are indeed serious grounds to believe that they may have committed atrocity crimes.
“It is imperative that all evidence be collected and preserved meticulously for future use.”
Turk described “the most serious human rights violations … including torture and the use of chemical weapons”.
The sudden and dramatic shift in Syria brought “hope that this would be an opportunity for the country to build a future grounded in human rights, freedom and justice”, Turk said. He added that “reform of the security apparatus will be key”.
“This transition must also ensure that the tragedy of missing people is addressed,” he said, pointing out that more than 100,000 people had disappeared during the civil war.
Highlighting that hostilities were still reportedly ongoing in parts of Syria, Turk said it was “imperative that all parties abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law”.
In particular, he said, “All measures must be taken to ensure the protection of all minorities, and to avert reprisals and acts of revenge”.
Separately, the European Union said it was not in contact with Syrian rebel group HTS.
“The European Union is not currently engaging with HTS or its leaders full stop,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. “As HTS takes on greater responsibilities, we will need to assess not just their words but also their actions.”
The 27-nation bloc also released a statement saying: “Now more than ever, it is imperative that all stakeholders engage in an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned dialogue on all key issues to ensure an orderly, peaceful and inclusive transition.”
The EU said it was “critical to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as state institutions, and to reject all forms of extremism”.
“We urge all actors to avoid any further violence, to ensure the protection of civilians, and to uphold international law, including international humanitarian law,” the statement said.
It called for the “protection of members of all minorities, including of Christian and other non-majority confessions, as well as the safety of foreign nationals and respect of diplomatic representations in Damascus”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II about the situation in Syria today and said she would talk to other regional leaders in the coming days.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Assad should be “held accountable” but called the nation’s political upheaval a “historic opportunity” for Syrians to rebuild their country.
In the first full US reaction to Assad’s overthrow by a coalition of rebel factions, Biden also warned that Washington would “remain vigilant” against the emergence of terrorist groups, announcing that US forces had just conducted fresh strikes against militants from the terrorist Islamic State group (IS).
“The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice,” Biden said from the White House.
“It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria.”
Asked by reporters what should happen to the deposed president, who reportedly has fled to Moscow, Biden said “Assad should be held accountable”.
Biden — set to step down in January and make way for Republican Donald Trump’s return to power — said Washington will assist Syrians in rebuilding.
“We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad government toward independent, sovereign” Syria “with a new constitution”, he said.
However, Biden cautioned that hardline fighter groups within the victorious rebel alliance will face scrutiny.
“Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” Biden said.
The United States had “taken note” of recent statements by rebels suggesting they had since moderated, he said, but cautioned: “We will assess not just their words, but their actions.”
Biden said Washington was “clear-eyed” that IS “will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish” itself in Syria.
“We will not let that happen,” he said, adding that US forces on Sunday conducted strikes against IS inside Syria.
The US military said warplanes hit IS operatives and camps.
Strikes were carried out against “over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s”, the US Central Command said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden’s optimism, saying: “After 14 years of conflict, the Syrian people finally have reason for hope.” He also reiterated the need for justice and vigilance.
“We will support international efforts to hold the Assad regime and its backers accountable for atrocities and abuses perpetrated against the Syrian people, including the use of chemical weapons.”
One outstanding concern is the fate of the Syrian government’s apparent stockpile of such weapons, and whether they will fall into rebel hands.
“We are taking very prudent measures in that regard,” a senior US administration official told reporters Sunday.
The US military has “good fidelity” on the location of chemical weapons, the official said, stressing that “we’re doing everything we can to prudently ensure that those materials […] obviously are either not available to anyone or are cared for.”
Damascus has been accused on numerous occasions of using chemical weapons, charges it denies.
The US military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to help combat IS. It has regularly struck militia targets in the country.
Biden also confirmed US authorities believe the American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012, is still alive, but they have yet “to identify where he is”.
