Pakistan sends plane, frigate to evacuate citizens from Yemen
The convoy includes Pakistani ambassador to Yemen along with a large number of women and children.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News, AFP) - Pakistan authorities has sent a jumbo jet and a naval frigate initially 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.
"The plane has landed at Al-Hudaydah and boarding has started. On seeing the plane landing, stranded Pakistanis expressed their happiness by clapping," the ambassador told state channel.
Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif was personally monitoring the evacuation and had directed the officials to ensure safe return of every citizen, a spokesman of PM office said.
According to Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudary, the government has developed a strategy to shift the Pakistanis from Yemen to a secure place whereas on the directions of PM two special jumbo airjets of PIA, an airbus and naval frigates have been arranged to evacuate the entrapped Pakistani compatriots.
PIA s flight PK-7001, Boeing 747 Jumbo and airbus-310 will take off to Yemen as per orders whereas a 21-member staff will also be present in the flights.
"A 747 aircraft of PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) is on its way to Al-Hudaydah and expected to land at 3.30 pm (1030 GMT)," the company s spokesman Hanif Rana told AFP earlier.
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.
"A Pakistan navy frigate today left Karachi to rescue stranded Pakistanis in Yemen," a naval spokesman told AFP.
The frigate will remain on stand-by in the Gulf of Aden with full preparedness and, if the need arose, will participate in the evacuations, he said.
The flights have got clearance of entering into the airspace and landing at Al-Hudaydah aiport and are expected to evacuate 504 stranded Pakistanis.
Besides this, a ship of Pakistan Navy also left for Yemen whereas another will be off in the evening to bring back Pakistanis living in other cities.
As per sources, at least 600 Pakistanis reached Al-Hudaydah from Yemen’s capital Sanaa overnight and resided in a school.
During the journey from Al Hudaida to Sanaa, the caravan faced checking from Yemen armed forces and Huthi groups however, it was permitted to leave after checking the documents.
The convoy includes the Pakistani ambassador to Yemen Dr Irfan Shami along with a large number of women and children.
Moreover, Pakistanis residing in other cities of Yemen have also been directed to reach Al-Hudaydah.
Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said late Saturday that around 3,000 Pakistanis lived in Yemen with some 1,000 trying to leave the country.
A convoy of 16 buses was carrying stranded Pakistanis from the capital of Sanaa to Al-Hudaydah, he said, while some remained stranded in the southern government stronghold of Aden and were awaiting a lull in the fighting so they too could be rescued.
Restating Islamabad s staunch support for the Gulf kingdom, Chaudhry said a Pakistani delegation would soon leave for Riyadh, but rejected reports that the country 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 Shiite Muslim power.
