Pakistani Student in Ukraine: A Fearful Journey to Romania

Medical student Attaullah Khan who was studying MBSS in Ukraine has made a great escape to Romania.

Describing it as a “bad dream”, defying all odds Attaullah and his group of friends eventually made it to the neighbouring country.

Attaullah and his friends had to undergo a monumental yet stressful journey travelling thousands of miles.

They were travelling for five days continuously due to the long distance in reaching the north-eastern border of Romania.

Attaullah Khan was living in Ukraine since September 2021, after earning a place at Kharkiv National Medical University.

He is a first-year student of General Medicine at the university in Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Attaullah who comes from Chaman, Pakistan had to study overseas, as his results did not quite meet the domestic merit criteria.

Everything was quite rosy for Attaullah until Russia decided to invade Ukraine in late February 2022. We chronicle how everything unfolded for Attaulllah Khan in what became a very difficult time for him and others.

Fear, Hard Times and Evacuation

MMBS Student Attaullah Khan and his fellow Pakistani students began mulling over what is going to happen, following the conflict.

Attaullah mentions when he was still in Kharkiv when the pre-war battle had started to emerge in the city.

He said whilst going outside of his apartment, there was no network.

The city was completely shut down with the sounds of gunfire, bombs and sirens playing in his ear. Speaking about how he felt at the time, Attaullah said:

“I became very fearful and made a quick return to my room at the place I was living in.”

Other aspects became a big concern also for Attaullah and his friends:

“We found out that transport was not operating as normal. Hence, it was going to become difficult to leave the city.”

Attallah states with no shop being open, he and his friends had to rely on some left-overs This includes some fruits, eggs and simple water:

“We had to manage with what we had.”

According to Attaullah, A week earlier the Pakistani Ambassador to Ukraine had put up a video for the attention of students and citizens.

He said that there was a plan in place to evacuate students if the situation was to change. Whilst the Pakistan Ambassador had given assurances to evacuate, everything did not go according to plan.

Also in such a situation, ground realities can dictate any specific evacuation plans.

Taking a Lead, Glimmer of Hope and Heartbreak

Attaullah Khan and his friends had to somewhat take their own Initiative and go with the flow
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Attaullah says contractors responsible for their admissions gave the students advice to stay “underground” or “on the ground floor” as much as possible.

By underground, Attaullah was referring to Kharkiv Metro, a rapid transit system. Attaullah mentions he and his friends were at the metro station from just before 9 pm till 2 am.

This was the night of February 23th and the beginning of February 24th.

Shortly afterwards Attaullah and his companion went back to their apartments. This is following further advice from their Pakistani contractors.

At this point, Attaullah and his student housemates needed a little bite to eat and get some rest:

“When we got back, we ate a little as we were hungry and then went to try and sleep.”

According to Attaullah the students then had suddenly gone to receive a message about a possible attack at 4 am.

As a result, everyone in their apartment made their way to the ground floor. Attaullah says after waiting for 1-2 hours and no sign of attack, they made a return back to their room.

On Friday itself, Attaullah was informed by his contractor that a train was departing from Kharkiv at 3 pm to the Western Ukraine city of Lviv.

This is a city very close to the easter border of Poland. Despite being at the station at 2 pm, Attaullah and his friends were unable to get on board the trains.

Attaullah states with too many people, particularly the Africans, trying to catch the same train everyone couldn’t get on. It was a rush affair.

Shelling, Stress and Strenuous Start

After missing the first train, Attaullah Khan and others witnessed shelling at the station. Attaullah says he was giving an interview to VOA Deewa Washington at the time when the shelling was going on.

Despite no one being hurt, Attaullah divulges the reason for this attack:

“The shelling did not cause harm to anyone. It was possible to scare everyone with there being an overflow of people.

“But even so, we do not know exactly why the Ukrainian troops did this.”

According to Attaullah, they went back to their flat, with knowledge of two more trains departing on Saturday, February 26, 2022.

Subsequently, Attaullah and his friends went to the station again at 2 pm. Thought, they were again unable to hop onto the 3 pm train.

Having said that, lady luck was on their side a little later as Attaullah explains:

“After waiting some hours, we finally were able to sneak onto the train – be it with great difficulty.”

He continues mentioning how they were forced to leave some of their belongings behind, but had their official documentation with them:

“Whilst rushing towards the train, some of our luggage fell and we did not bother trying to pick it up.

“Thankfully, our passports were safe, with them being in our pockets.”

Attaullah stresses it was a tiring 20 hr journey. This was because they had to stand throughout and were travelling on an empty stomach. They only had some fruit which they had the following day.

Ternopil, Crossing Border and Harsh Environment

Attaullah Khan points out that instead of Lviv, they disembarked at Ternopil after coming to know that the Pakistani Embassy had shifted there. This was on Sunday, February 27, 2022.

However, the Pakistani embassy did not provide any specific help. According to Attaullah, their contactor in Kharkiv gave them details of a similar official in Ternopil.

The contractor in Ternopil went on to arrange their accommodation for the night at a hostel.

The hostel did not provide food, but the students did light food shop in Ternopil. Attaullah says he only had equivalent to £3 with him. He explains the reason for not having much cash:

“I had very little on me, as I had submitted my course fees only two weeks ago.”

His family apparently were sending him money every month to keep things flowing. Attaullah said they then got in touch with their Khariv contractor who told them to get on a bus arriving in Ternopil.

The bus was meant to depart at 8:00 AM on Monday, February 28, 200. But Attaullah mentions it did not arrive at the hostel until 9 pm.

Then Attaullah and the other Pakistani students sat in the bus, for their onward journey to the Romanian border.

Their specific destination was the town of Sirrt, which was five hours away. They reached the town around 2:00 am on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

Attaullah states the Siret citizens were very welcoming as they gave them some much-needed food to eat.

Though despite giving them a blanket and tent to sleep in, Attaullah discloses it was a difficult night with it being extremely cold.

Pakistan Embassy, Bucharest and Patience

A student friend of Attaullah Khan was in communication with the Pakistan embassy on the morning of Wednesday, March 2022.

The consulate told the student that a bus will pick them up at 9 am from Siret. Attaulllah tells us approximately around twenty were on board the bus for the Romanian capital.

Attauallah and the other students reached Bucharest around 7 pm local time. Attaullah confirms the Pakistan Ambassador and his staff members were present to welcome them.

He says the Pakistani officials had a very kind-hearted attitude towards the students.

According to Attaullah, as part of their hospitality, Pakistan Embassy had arranged food for the first night and three nights stay at the Jazz Hostel completely free.

In reply to a question on whether he had any money for food and survival after the first day, Attaullah said:

“I had no money left for food. However, the local Romanians are very hospitable, providing food for us all students.”

Attaullah tells us that he had a conversation with his family on the morning of Thursday, March 3, 2022, about them sending some money and booking his tickets on a PIA flight.

Attaullah sums up everything as a very “frightening experience”, mentioning some important points:

“The day we left Kharkiv, is when the fighting began in the city.”

“I also remember speaking to my mother and asking her to pray for us. She said, ‘son I will, but we are also in some difficulty with some tensions arising on the Pakistan-Afghan border.’

“I did shed some tears after my conversation with my mother. I was in a challenging position, with my family equally facing some difficulties.”

Attaullah acknowledges that being patient was the key along with the support of other students. The group of students travelling with him were primarily from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Others were from Karachi and Lahore.

Attaullah was frequently sharing images on his Twitter account. When asked why was he smiling in a picture taken in Bucharest, he responded with relief:

“Jan Bach Gayi Tu Smile Tu Karrunga.” (My life has been saved so I will smile).

Going by his Twitter posts and his story, he is more thankful to the Pakistan Embassy of Romania in comparison to officials in Ukraine.

If that is the case, why was there no planning to help Pakistani students in Ukraine? Was it not possible to evacuate these students a week before the conflict began?

Thankfully many students are safe. It is important for the Pakistan government to assist any Pakistani students who may still be stranded in Ukraine.

As for Attaullah Khan and the other students, they had shown a lot of mettle and grit through this difficult phase of their life.

Hopefully, they can all reach Pakistan safe and sound and think ahead positively.

One day when they complete their MBBS, the Ukraine experience will become a source of inspiration for many others wishing to study medicine.