ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has successfully evacuated thousands of its citizens from Iran amid escalating tensions, said Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran.
In an exclusive interview on the Pakistan TV programme The Newsroom, Ambassador Tipu said that Pakistan has approximately 35,000 nationals living across Iran, with a significant number concentrated in the Sistan-Balochistan province near the Pakistan border, as well as in major cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Hamadan, Qom and Karaj.
He said a large portion of the population includes students, businessmen, pilgrims and individuals on short-term visits.
“Since the outbreak of hostilities, we have evacuated about 2,000 Pakistanis through government-coordinated efforts, while another 2,000–3,000 returned independently with our assistance,” Tipu said, adding that over the past weeks the Pakistan embassy has been in constant contact with its citizens, guiding and sensitising them to the evolving situation.
The ambassador highlighted the embassy’s 24/7 operational centre, which coordinated evacuations by collecting citizen information, arranging buses, and guiding individuals to Pakistan’s border at Taftan, adding that other routes, such as the Azerbaijan border, were also used to facilitate safe passage.
Special attention was given to Pakistani students, including those at Tehran Medical University and other educational institutions.
Tipu noted that Pakistani nationals in remote areas, including ports such as Bandar Abbas, were also assisted directly by embassy staff to ensure safe transport back to Pakistan.
“Citizens must be aware of working banking centres, ATM availability, and medicine supplies.
Due to intermittent disruptions of Wi-Fi and navigation systems, we advised downloading Iranian navigation apps to ease travel within the country,” he stressed.
He urged Pakistani citizens still in Iran to contact the embassy via Twitter, Instagram, or official Foreign Ministry channels, which remain operational despite high call volumes.
“When the conflict began, we were receiving 400–500 calls daily, including messages from families in Pakistan seeking updates from their children,” Tipu said.
