- FO spokeswoman says Sanaa Airport not functional anymore and Pakistanis still stranded in Yemen disobeyed evacuation orders, however they will now be transported home by sea
Pakistan has rejected reports of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets and naval ships being a part of the military action in Yemen against Houthis.
In a statement issued from Islamabad on Tuesday, Foreign Office (FO) spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam has termed media reports, including that of Reuters, “misleading and incorrect”.
Earlier, speaking to reporters, the FO spokeswoman said that no decision had been taken about sending another flight to Yemen. She said that the government was trying its best to vacate Pakistanis from Yemen but Sanaa Airport could not be used for landing.
She said that extrication of Pakistanis will hopefully be possible by Wednesday (today). She said that the total number of Pakistanis stranded in Yemen is around 450. “It was previously hoped that they would be extricated from Al-Hadeed but most of the airports in Yemen are not usable anymore,” she said.
Moreover, Tasneem Aslam said that the Pakistani ambassador did not leave Pakistanis in Yemen but around 70 Pakistani citizens had decided to stay back in Sanaa. “Now those people are afraid of coming to Al-Makla. However, the Pakistani government is in contact with the Yemeni government, Pakistani embassy and community in Yemen,” she assured.
Furthermore, Aslam said that stranded Pakistanis will now be extricated by sea. She said that two Pakistani ships have already left for Yemen and cooperation from China has also been requested. She added that Pakistanis in Yemen were told to leave the country quite a long time before the situation got worse but they did not act upon the directions.
