On Friday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the immediate evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from Yemen.
The decision was taken following air strikes carried out by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday against Huthi rebels in Yemen.
The prime minister instructed the relevant authorities that steps should be taken on war footing for the safety and early return of Pakistanis stranded in Yemen.
According to unofficial estimates, 560 Pakistanis are stranded in the besieged Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Pakistan’s foreign ministry officials say around 2,145 Pakistanis are currently living in Yemen while the local media reported that “half of them are in a state of uncertainty and fear”.
“We, Pakistanis, are very nervous. We have been surrounded by Houthi rebels. We appeal to our government to evacuate us, please,” Rehan Ali, a Pakistani national, told a news channel in Pakistan. Ali also complained that the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Sanaa has yet to start evacuating the stranded Pakistanis.
Pakistan has not made a decision on whether to commit military support to a Saudi-led coalition intervening in Yemen, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told lawmakers on Friday, while pledging to defend the oil-rich kingdom against any threat to its sovereignty.
“We have made no decision to participate in this war. We didn’t make any promise. We have not promised any military support to the Saudi-led coalition against Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen,” he said while speaking in the National Assembly.
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