ISLAMABAD: A batch of 318 Pakistanis, who were in the conflict-hit Syria, returned home via Lebanese capital of Beirut aboard a special chartered plane in the early hours of Friday morning. Federal Minister for Pla­nning, Development and Sp­­e­­cial Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal welcomed the group at Islamabad Inter­national Airport. Repre­sen­tatives of the Prime Min­is­ter’s Office, ministries of for­­eign affairs, information and broadcasting, overseas Pakistanis and the National Disaster Management Au­­thority accompanied the minister. A special desk has been set up by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to faci­litate the returning citizens. Besides, refreshments and transport to home were ar­­r­anged for these passengers. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Iqbal said that evacuation of Pakistani citizens via Beirut was made possible by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s tireless efforts, which included daily review meetings for the evacuation of Pakistanis stranded in Syria. He recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz spoke to his Lebanese counterpart to facilitate the evacuation, while Deputy Prime Minis­ter and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had contacted the Turkish foreign minister for the purpose. Following the directives of PM Shehbaz for an early and safe evacuation of the stranded Pakistanis, a plan of action was formulated on an emergency basis. The premier directed the authorities concerned to utilise all available resources in this regard, he added. The planning minister said that all possible steps were being taken for the safe evacuation of Pakistanis residing in Syria, adding that the protection of the lives and property of Pakistanis in Syria was the government’s top priority. He said the government had established an information desk and a helpline at the Pakistani embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Additionally, he added, the crisis management unit and the embassy’s information desk will remain active 24 hours a day until the law and order situation improved there. This arrangement by the government is a symbol of the spirit that Pakistanis are not alone wherever they are in trouble.