All Indian students safe, situation normal in Bishkek

The Embassy of India in Kyrgyzstan said on Sunday that all Indian students are safe as the situation in Bishkek remains normal after incidents of mob violence, mainly involving Pakistani students and locals, rocked the Kyrgyz capital on the night of May 17.

"The situation in Bishkek is normal. All Indian students are safe. They are requested to continue to follow the guidelines prescribed by authorities in the Kyrgyz Republic," the Indian Embassy posted on X on Sunday, advising Indian nationals to contact the helpline number in case of any issue.

Earlier this week, the Embassy had urged Indian students in Bishkek to stay indoors "for the moment" as the violence which left several people injured, including a Pakistani who suffered a fractured jawbone, took an ugly turn.

Strongly advising students to stay in regular touch with the Embassy, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar also said that he was "monitoring the welfare of Indian students" as the situation turned calm.

Meanwhile, as a special flight carrying the first batch of Pakistani citizens from Bishkek landed at Lahore airport earlier on Sunday, Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev dialled his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar, expressing "serious concern about the spread of false and unverified information" about the incident and situation in Kyrgyzstan in Pakistani media.

"J. Kulubayev emphasised the importance of using verified information, as well as the importance of stopping false information and publications that could harm Kyrgyz-Pakistani relations in Pakistan's information space," said a statement issued by Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry.