Agencies/Riyadh
A Pakistani delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif held talks with top Saudi officials in Riyadh over the ongoing crisis in Yemen.
The developing situation in the Middle East also came under discussion during the talks late on Tuesday with Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Mohamed bin Salman al-Saud and chiefs of army and air force, Geo news reported.
The Pakistani delegation was received by Prince Mohamed bin Salman upon its arrival in Riyadh.
The delegation includes adviser to prime minister on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, chief of general staff Ashfaq Nadeem, deputy chief of naval operations Rear Admiral Kalim Shaukat, deputy chief of air staff operations Air Vice Marshall Mujahid Anwar, and director general of military operations.
Prior to departure, Khawaja Asif said Pakistan would provide support to Saudi Arabia if the country’s security was threatened.
The minister emphasised that Pakistan supported a peaceful resolution and was seeking an end to the conflicts in the Muslim world.
On Monday, a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also concluded that Pakistan remains firmly committed to supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia “in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Pakistan”.
Pakistan will also call upon the UN, Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), and the international community to play a constructive role in finding a political solution to the crisis.
However, the decision to send Pakistani troops to assist Saudi Arabia was not confirmed during the meeting.
Meanwhile, around 200 Pakistanis stranded in Yemen’s Aden city were to be evacuated yesterday by a Chinese naval ship to Djibouti, from where they will be brought back to Pakistan, the foreign office in Islamabad said.
“Due to the ongoing fighting around Aden, evacuation by air through the Mokallah airport, which is at a considerable distance, has become extremely risky. Therefore, around 200 Pakistanis stranded in Aden will now be evacuated through a Chinese Naval Ship reaching Aden on Wednesday,” a foreign office spokesperson said in a statement.
“These Pakistanis will be taken to Djibouti by sea. From there, a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight will bring them back to Pakistan,” Geo News quoted the statement as saying.
A PIA spokesperson said the return flight would depart from Djibouti and arrive at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport today.
The foreign office said special arrangements are being made in Djibouti for the Pakistani citizens.
“Our ambassador in Ethiopia has been instructed to personally set up a camp office in Djibouti to receive these Pakistanis, and organise their immigration, stay and journey back to Pakistan. The Djibouti government has agreed to provide the required support,” it added.
Meanwhile, the security situation was “fairly stable” in the city of Mokallah, where around 150 Pakistanis were waiting to be evacuated.
“A Pakistan navy ship is scheduled to reach Mokallah on April 2 to evacuate around 150 Pakistanis. These will be brought back directly to Karachi,” the statement added.
The spokesperson said that, despite the challenging situation in Sanaa, the government was planning to arrange a special flight to the city to rescue between 70 and 90 Pakistanis who had missed the first evacuation flight via Al Hudeida airport.
“Saudi authorities have been requested for an exemption of ‘No Fly’ restriction imposed. Ground clearances from the local authorities are also being obtained. A PIA aircraft is already on stand-by for this operation,” the spokesperson said.
Families of stranded Pakistanis in Yemen hold their pictures in a rally for their rescue in Multan yesterday.
