PIA plane with 134 Pakistanis from Sana'a lands at Islamabad airport

ISLAMABAD/SANAA: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) airplane (PK-7006) which departed from Sana’a on Sunday, evacuating 134 Pakistani nationals stranded in the war-torn Yemeni city, has landed at Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

Two Canadian and two Sudanese nationals were also on board.

Minister for SAFRON Abdul Qadir Baloch, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem, and senior officials of the Foreign Office received the Pakistanis.

A large number of relatives of the evacuees were also present at the airport to welcome their near and dear ones.

The passengers belonging to Karachi and Lahore will travel onwards by PIA flights. This number is slightly less than what was earlier anticipated, since some families residing in Sana'a chose to stay on in Yemen, despite having earlier registered for evacuation.

"We are very happy that we are finally returning home safely," Neelma Abbas, one of the Pakistani nationals, told Geo news via telephone from Sana'a airport shortly before boarding the flight.

Pakistani nationals trapped in Sana’a were unable to reach Hudaidah or Mukallah, from where Pakistan previously evacuated its citizens, due to the tense situation around Sana’a.

The Pakistani diplomatic mission in Muscat has also been able to rescue 12 nationals trapped at the Yemen-Oman border, and is arranging for their return home.

According to the Foreign Office, 850 Pakistani nationals have so far been evacuated from Yemen.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani Navy vessel which departed from Alsheher on Saturday is expected to reach Pakistan on Monday (April 7).

The navy frigate has 148 Pakistanis on board, as well as 35 foreign nationals.

“Chinese students and employees, mostly European and Indians of a company whose CEO facilitated our citizens, are on PN ship for evacuation,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam.

“We were brought to Alsheher which is 50 KM from Mukalla under tight security,” said Shahzain who is among the stranded Pakistanis on board the PNS Aslat.

Saudia Arabia and its allies launched Operation Decisive Storm against the Houthi rebels on March 26 to halt their advance in Yemen.