ANKARA: Pakistan is concerned by the overthrow of the legitimate Yemeni government and will stand by Saudi Arabia as it leads a coalition against Houthi rebels, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday during a visit to Turkey to discuss the Yemen situation.
“We have agreed to extend all possible support in the defense of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Sharif told a news conference in the Turkish capital Ankara, where he is on an official visit.
Sharif on Thursday called for a joint session of Parliament to consider whether to join the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.
Pakistan on Friday evacuated nearly 200 of its citizens from war-torn Yemen.
There were tears and relieved smiles at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport as the specially chartered Pakistan International Airlines plane arrived with the 176 evacuees.
More than 500 Pakistanis were evacuated on Sunday and the latest batch arrived from Djibouti, where they had been taken by sea from Yemen by the Chinese Navy.
“I live right next to the airport and even I got some bullets through my window about two weeks ago, so since then, I moved out,” a mother-of-four told AFP.
Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said 50 of the 176 would travel on to Karachi.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters there were between 200 and 250 Pakistanis still stranded in Yemen and the government was trying to get them home within the next two days.
Pakistan’s Parliament will meet on Monday to debate whether to join the military coalition against the Yemeni rebels.
Speaking in Turkey after talks with his counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, Sharif urged parties to the conflict to try to find a peaceful resolution.
Pakistan, Turkey hold talks on Yemen crisis
Pakistan, Turkey hold talks on Yemen crisis
Military coalition in Yemen condemns attack on commander’s convoy
- Al-Maliki also said the coalition is committed to supporting Yemeni security efforts and pursuing those involved in the attack and bringing them to justice
RIYADH: The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen condemned on Wednesday an attack that targeted the convoy of a senior commander.
The attack in the Jaoula area of Lahj governorate targeted vehicles under the command of Brigadier General Hamdi Shukri, who heads the second division of the Giants Forces.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said there were numerous deaths injuries and called the ambush “a criminal act that is contrary to all human and moral values.”
He said the coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, will continue coordinating with the relevant authorities to ensure the security of citizens and maintain stability, Saudi Press Agency reported.
He called for people to work with the Yemeni government and military authorities to confront any sabotage attempts or terrorist operations targeting the security and stability of liberated governorates.
Al-Maliki also said the coalition is committed to supporting Yemeni security efforts and pursuing those involved in the attack and bringing them to justice.
