ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday evacuated more than 500 of its citizens from Yemen by jumbo jet and sent a naval frigate to rescue others stranded in the war-torn country, officials said.
Shujaat Azeem, aviation advisor to the prime minister, said the PIA flight carrying 503 passengers from Hodeidah had arrived in Karachi.
Live television footage showed the jubilant passengers being offered rose garlands and bunting of the Pakistani white and green flag as they emerged from the arrivals lounge of Jinnah International Airport.
Many people cried when they hugged each other and relatives of some passengers distributed sweets to those who had gathered to welcome the evacuees.
Passengers said they were happy to be home and thanked the government amid slogans of “Long live Pakistan”, “Long live prime minister” and “Long live PIA.”
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said there were still up to 250 Pakistanis in the port town of Mukalla, which was peaceful, with officials trying to ascertain how many want to be evacuated from nearby Riyan airport.
She said fighting was going on in the southern government stronghold of Aden where up to 200 Pakistanis were stranded as the airport was not accessible but the port was open.
“Our navy ship on its way to Aden. We are also coordinating with the Chinese,” Aslam said.-AFP
ALI HUSSAIN from Islamabad adds:
The Foreign Office said that more than 400 stranded Pakistanis have been evacuated via a PIA flight from Hodeidah and a joint coordination has also been started with China in evacuation efforts.
According to Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam, 400 Pakistanis were evacuated from Hodeidah and no further evacuation required from that city as of now.
She said that the PIA flight brining 400 Pakistanis from Hudaidah will arrive at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, Karachi where Deputy Chief Protocol of the Foreign Office and Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) representative will receive them. While 339 passengers will be flown to Benazir International Airport, Islamabad, where Deputy Chief Protocol of the Foreign Office will receive them, she added.
She said that Pakistan navy ship is on its way to Aden and the authorities are also contacting Chinese officials there to seek their help in the evacuation.
In Aden, she said that fighting is ongoing where 150 to 200 Pakistani citizens have been trapped, adding that the Aden airport is not accessible, but the city’s port is free.
In Moqalla city, she said the situation is peaceful where 150 to 250 Pakistani citizens are stranded, adding the government is trying to ascertain the exact number of Pakistanis who want to be evacuated from nearby airport Riyan or Ghaidah.
The Spokesperson said 150 Pakistanis will travel to Moqallaa from Aden by road to join 100 more Pakistanis. She said that another PIA plane will be departing to Moqallaa on Tuesday to bring back the stranded people from Moqallaa and Aden.
There are around 3,000 Pakistanis residing in the war-torn Yemen. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry Saturday said that at present around 1000 people have contacted Pakistan’s Embassy in Sana’a for evacuation.
As Saudi Arabia has declared no-fly zone following the launch of an operation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. However, the Foreign Secretary said that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Saturday contacted his Saudi counterpart and sought the Kingdom’s cooperation in evacuation of the stranded Pakistanis. He said that the Saudi Defence Minister assured all-out cooperation for peaceful evacuation of Pakistani citizens from Yemen.
AFP adds: Pakistan has sent a jumbo jet and a naval frigate to evacuate its citizens and diplomatic staff stranded in war-torn Yemen, as Saudi-led air strikes hammered Shiite Huthi rebel targets, officials said Sunday.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Yemen Irfan Shami told state television that 482 Pakistanis would be evacuated on the first flight.
“The plane has landed at Hodeidah and boarding has started. On seeing the plane landing, stranded Pakistanis expressed their happiness by clapping,” the ambassador told Pakistan Television.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was personally monitoring the evacuation and had directed officials to ensure the safe return of every citizen, a spokesman of Sharif’s office said.
Earlier, PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) spokesman Hanif Rana told AFP that a Boeing 747 had been flown to Hodeidah.
A second, smaller plane with a capacity of 230 passengers was also being kept on standby in Pakistan, he said.
A frigate had also been sent to assist and would remain on standby in the Gulf of Aden, a naval spokesman told AFP.
The frigate will remain on standby in the Gulf of Aden with full preparedness and, if the need arose, will participate in the evacuations, he said.
Restating Islamabad’s staunch support for the Gulf kingdom, Chaudhry said a delegation would soon leave for Riyadh, but rejected reports that Pakistan would join the Saudi-led coalition bombing mission.
Pakistan is a longstanding ally of Saudi Arabia with close military ties, but Islamabad has not yet committed to the operation, which has drawn strong criticism from its neighbour Iran, the major Shia Muslim power.
A convoy of 600 Pakistanis reached Hodeidah Sunday after escaping from the embattled Yemeni capital Sanaa to leave for Pakistan. The convoy was inspected heavily by the Yemeni armed forces and the Houthi militia before it was permitted to exit Sanaa.
According to the spokesman for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the flight operations will be continued until all Pakistanis are evacuated from Yemen.
According to CAA spokesman, another PIA airplane, Airbus-310 will also be used in the evacuation operation.
Former ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, however, was critical of the government’s handling of the evacuation of Pakistanis in Yemen.
A Crisis Management Cell has been established at the Foreign Office to coordinate the arrangements for evacuation.—INP
