Pakistan to repatriate citizens from Egypt

Passengers wait for check-in at Cairo's international airport. Cairo's international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt.—AP ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday ordered a special plane to be dispatched to Cairo to repatriate non-essential staff from its embassy and any of its citizens who wish to leave as the Egyptian revolt deepens. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ordered the defence ministry to dispatch the "special aircraft" to Cairo to bring back families and non-essential staff of the embassy, his office said. The aircraft will also evacuate all Pakistanis, including stranded tourists, who wish to leave Egypt. Islamabad expects around 200 Pakistanis to be airlifted home from Egypt by a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) charter in coming days. Protests in which hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have marched in a bid to bring down President Hosni Mubarak’s regime are being watched closely in Pakistan, where the government has vowed the same cannot happen. Around 300 people are believed to have died in the Egypt revolt, which erupted after protestors in Tunisia forced president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee into exile last month.