KARACHI / ISLAMABAD:
Some 503 Pakistanis stepped off a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight late Sunday, overcome by feelings of patriotism and glad to return alive from the war zone in Yemen.
They travelled aboard the Boeing 747 that was despatched to the Yemeni city of Hudaidah as a part of the emergency evacuation plan ordered by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for Pakistanis stranded in Yemen. Earlier, a two-hour pause in the Saudi-led operation allowed the plane to land safely in Yemen and fly the passengers out to Pakistan.
The aircraft carrying the jubilant passengers landed at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport around 11:30pm amid shouts of “Pakistan Zindabad”. Many passengers stopped to kiss the ground in gratitude.
Emotions continued to run high as the passengers reunited with their families who had come to receive them. Together, they thanked God for their safe evacuation.
The PIA authorities presented them with flowers and Pakistani flags. The flight was equipped with medical arrangements and supplies as well as food.
The passengers and their families thanked PM Nawaz. They also acknowledged the efforts made by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Yemen Dr Irfan Shami.
Some 350 passengers were later flown out to Islamabad on a Boeing 777.
“The Houthi rebels used to leave Pakistanis alone until the Pakistani government announced its support for the Saudi military offensive,” said Syed Arsalan, whose brother, sister-in-law and niece lived in the capital city of Sana’a. “After the rebels learnt of Pakistan’s support to Saudi Arabia, they started looting the homes of Pakistanis in retaliation.”
Imran Victor, who returned from Sana’a six months ago but whose wife and brother-in-law still live there, supported Arsalan’s claim. “The rebels’ attitude towards Pakistanis changed after our government announced its backing for the Saudi operation.”
Operation Decisive Storm, according to him, has whipped up fear and anxiety among people living in Yemen. The most compelling fear that all the returning Pakistanis share is of the uncertain future they face. “We left everything behind in our haste to save our lives and get away from the war,” said a passenger.
Evacuation continues
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam confirmed that more than 400 Pakistanis were evacuated from Hudaidah. “No further evacuation is required from there as of now,” she said in a statement.
Six hundred Pakistanis reached Hudaidah from Sana’a on Sunday after Yemeni forces and Houthi rebels allowed them to leave.
It is estimated that between 2,000 and 2,500 Pakistanis still reside in different cities of Yemen. The Foreign Office, however, said only 1,000 were presently willing to be evacuated.
The spokesperson said around 150 Pakistanis would reach the main seaport of Mukalla by road from the seaport city of Aden and join 100 of their compatriots who are already there waiting to be evacuated. “A special PIA flight would bring back these stranded Pakistanis from Mukalla on March 31.”
PM Nawaz personally monitored the rescue situation. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said more special flights would be sent within the next 48 hours to speed up the evacuation process.
On the PM’s directives, caravans of stranded Pakistanis gathered at the Pakistani Embassy in Sana’a from where they were transported to Hudaidah airport.
Around 200 Pakistanis are still stuck in Aden, where, according to Tasnim, battles are raging between the rebels and other forces. “The airport in Aden is inaccessible because of the fighting; therefore, a navy ship is on its way to the city.”
She said Pakistan was coordinating with the Chinese authorities to bring back Chinese nationals by sea. Moreover, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif phoned his Saudi counterpart to ensure early return of Pakistanis still stranded in Yemen.
An official statement said the Saudi defence minister assured Asif that evacuation of the stranded Pakistanis would be carried out as if they were Saudi citizens. “The Saudi government is in contact with the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh,” said the defence ministry.
Earlier, Saudi authorities had given clearance to the PIA flight to land at the Hudaidah airport for the evacuation of stranded Pakistanis. Last week Saudi Arabia had imposed a no-fly zone over Yemen after launching air strikes against the Houthi rebels.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2015.