Remaining Pakistanis in war-torn Yemen appeal for help
Two Pakistani Navy ships have been dispatched to the area and are expected to reach in a few days.
(Web Desk) – Hundreds of Pakistanis are still present in war-hit Yemen who have appealed to the government for their immediate evacuation, Dunya News reported on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that focus has now shifted to evacuate the remaining Pakistanis, stuck mainly in Aden and Mokallah.
The renewed fighting around Aden has prevented the envisaged movement of Pakistanis stranded in Aden to Mokallah, which is at about nine hours’ driving distance.
“As such, even as a PIA aircraft is on stand-by to fly to Mokallah to air-lift the stranded Pakistanis in Aden and Mokallah, we now have to use the sea evacuation option”, the Foreign Office said.
Two Pakistani Navy ships have been dispatched to the area and are expected to reach in a few days. These vessels will evacuate Pakistanis from Aden and Mokallah. All logistic arrangements for the evacuation are being worked out presently.
The ministry said that the possibility of evacuation from Aden through Chinese assistance is also being explored, in parallel, since Chinese vessels are currently undertaking evacuation operations for their citizens in Aden.
According to FO spokesperson Tasnim Aslam, there were about 3000 Pakistanis in Yemen before September 2014 and about 2000 left for Pakistan after embassy advisory in the wake of security situation in Yemen.
Earlier on Sunday, a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 747 took off from Yemen`s Al-Hudaydah airport with 494 Pakistani nationals on board.
The Saudi military said operations around the Red Sea port of Al-Hudaydah stopped for more than two hours to allow the evacuation.
