Islamabad: Junaid Hassan, Pakistani student studying in Ukraine felt war was coming. But he arrived before he expected, forcing him to do so spend several sleepless nights in the basement of his hostel in an attempt at avoid bombing by Russian forces.
“It was 5:05 on February 24, when a powerful the explosion shook my room. The first the thing that came to me in mind is that the war has come ”, Hassan, il first Pakistan to evacuate from war-hit country via neighboring Hungary and then Turkiye, Anadolu told the news agency.
There were five to six explosions in the next now, forcing him to be together with hundreds of students a run for shelter in the basement of the hostel, otherwise used as a storage room.
“After a while we were asked by the hostel management store food and water and stay in house, “Hassan, who comes from the port city of Gwadar said adding that they spent next five nights in in the basement until the students were allowed to leave Kiev for the Vannnytsia city and subsequently the border with Hungary in a bus organized by the Indian embassy.
Russian forces, according to Hassan, usually bombed at night, while the morning was relatively quiet until March 1, day in which left Kiev.
“We would like spend nights in the medium-sized basement like sardines and go to our rooms in to sleep in the morning, “he argued.
Ukraine became a key destination for Asian and African students countries over the past decade due to relatively low-priced education and hassle-free visa policy.
About 76,000 foreign students are currently studying in mainly several Ukrainian universities in the fields of medical and engineering, of them a quarter they come from India, followed by Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Although many Pakistani students have managed to escape from Ukraine, they are still stuck in Poland, Hungary and Romania, in a desperate wait for flights to get them back home as, accused Hassan, the diplomat missions they are not “witnessing”.
Thousands of Indian students are also trapped in several Ukrainian cities, which are the target of heavy bombing by Russian forces, in appeal for an urgent evacuation.
Hassan is another Pakistani colleague also He managed to arrive in Pakistan via Istanbul on Monday.
Scary journey
Over 3,500 Pakistani students are enrolled in several universities of medicine and engineering in the former Soviet state. However, hundreds had it already left Ukraine because of the interruptions of the semester or because of the perception of the impending war.
“We were only two Pakistanis at the hostel, while the majority were Indians. They kept us in period while their embassy was constantly trying to evacuate them, “he said further thanking his Indian classmates for not abandoning it at the time of the test.
Recalling his scary two-day journey from the Ukrainian capital Kiev to the Hungarian border, Hassan, to second-year student at Kyiv Medical University, he said it wasn’t sure if he had managed to reach the border by ferocity of war.
Their first the goal was to get to a train to reach the Vannnytsia city which is 1,006 kilometers (625 miles) from the border with Hungary.
“It was a doomsday scene at the Kiev railway station as thousands of people poured in in to catch trains. After that we were able to get to our train hours-long struggle”He recalled.
A five hour journey took the 73 members group in Vannnytsia, where they spent the night in a hostel of a medical university already abandoned by students for safety.
“We expected the same bombardment and bombardment there, but luckily it was a quiet night,” he said.
The next morning, the group embarked on an 18-hour trip to the border with Hungary amidst fears of be caught in pugnacious.
“We could spot heavily armed Ukrainian troops on our way to the border, however, nothing unpleasant (bombing and firing) happened, ”Hassan said on to say.
Another surprise awaited him at the border with Hungary, where, contrary to his apprehensions, the border authorities let him in. in Hungary without any complications.
The UN has recognized this people of Indian and African origin faced racial treatment at the borders with neighbors while attempting to leave Ukraine.
The group changed three buses to finally reach the capital of Hungary Budapest, where the Pakistani embassy organized the stay in a local hotel for Hassan.
Willing to go back
A senator from Gwadar, who remained in constant touch with Hassan on his trip, he booked a air ticket for him to return in Pakistan.
A Turkish Airlines flight first took Hassan to Istanbul and then to Karachi, where his family members and friends greeted him.
“I already heard home when I reached Istanbul, ”he said, smiling.
“The first which I did after landing in Istanbul had to phone mine mother, who burst out in tears like soon as I told her I’m safe now.
Hassan, who has yet to study three more years to complete his degree in medicine, wishes for the immediate end of the war.
“I want to and I will definitely go back (in Ukraine) a finish my studies. I miss my friends, especially those who it helped me when I really needed it, ”he said.
