176 more Pakistanis return from Yemen

ISLAMABAD: Moving scenes were witnessed as 176 Pakistanis landed at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA), Islamabad, through a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft here on Friday.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Special Adviser to Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem, along with PIA officials, received the passengers.Majority of the passengers, who returned from Yemen via Djibouti, thanked Allah as they appeared from the airport lounge. All the returning passengers were holding Pakistani flags and raised slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ after reaching the airport.
A large number of relatives waiting for their loved ones since morning showered rose petals on the arriving Pakistani nationals. Majority of them, particularly women, could not control their emotions and tears rolled down their cheeks while hugging their loved ones. The relatives also distributed sweets among the arriving passengers and security men present at the airport.
Talking to The News, the returning Pakistani nationals appreciated the role of the government, the media and PIA in their homecoming. They said they were insecure in Yemen.Nahid Kausar, a woman passenger, along with her three children thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who took the timely action. “The Yemeni people are good but we were receiving threatening calls for several days,” she claimed.
Shahid Manzoor, another passenger, was highly emotional after meeting his mother at the airport. He said he had a good business in Yemen but security comes first. He also appreciated the role of the Chinese government in this matter.
Abida Dawood, who was a school principal in Yemen, said she had full confidence in the government. She hoped that all the stranded Pakistanis in Yemen will be evacuated soon.PIA Chairman Nasir Jaffar told media persons on the occasion that another aircraft will be sent to Yemen after receiving a green signal from the government.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said all the stranded Pakistanis in the war-torn Yemen will be brought back and no efforts would be spared in this regard. The minister said the Pakistani citizens will be evacuated as soon as the Sanaa airport becomes functional.
Khawaja Asif said the government had also contacted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for help in the evacuation of Pakistani citizens from Yemen.The recently-arrived 176 Pakistani citizens were stuck in Yemen’s Aden city. A Chinese vessel had shifted them to Djibouti in Ethiopia on Thursday where Pakistan’s ambassador had made arrangements for them at a makeshift camp.
Online adds: Khawaja Asif said the government had adopted a two-pronged strategy to resolve the Yemen crisis. He said the government was committed to Saudi Arabia’s security as well as finding a peaceful solution to the Yemen issue.
“On the one hand, we stand committed to the Saudis’ security and territorial integrity and we have spelt that out very clearly,” Asif said. “But, on the other hand, we are using the option of bringing the Muslim countries together to find a peaceful solution for the crisis in Yemen,” he added.
The minister said the government had called a joint session of parliament on Monday to debate the Yemen issue. “The prime minister is committed to this operation (evacuation) and is overseeing the process himself,” he said.Asif also praised the PIA for its efforts in evacuating the Pakistanis from Yemen.