A Pakistan International Airlines aircraft had gone to Sanaa, the troubled Yemeni capital under the control of Houthi rebels, to bring back 174 stranded Pakistanis. Some families, however, opted to stay back citing different reasons. Two Canadians and two Sudanese were also evacuated to Pakistan.
States and Frontier Regions Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch received the passengers at the Islamabad airport on behalf of the prime minister. He said the remaining Pakistanis would be evacuated in the next two days.
Three special flights, two naval evacuations and one land rescue mission through Oman have brought back the stranded Pakistanis, according to the foreign ministry. Another naval evacuation for around 50 Pakistanis is planned for tomorrow from the Yemeni port city of al Hudeida.
Deputy Ambassador to Yemen Hameed Nauman Qureshi, who was among the evacuated Pakistanis, said the situation in Yemen was grim. He said a list of all Pakistanis in Yemen was prepared and most of them have been evacuated. “The remaining people will be taken home within two or three days while some of them are not willing to return,” he added.