ISLAMABAD: The evacuation of Pakistan nationals from war-torn Sudan would not have been possible without the help of Saudi Arabia, Islamabad’s envoy to Khartoum said on Monday as fighting continued between rival factions in the African and Arab country.
Thousands of foreign nationals have been evacuated from Sudan since clashes broke out in mid-April between the Sudanese army and paramilitary group Rapid Support Force. Since then, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured despite multiple cease-fires aimed at halting the fighting.
More than 1,000 Pakistan nationals were among those evacuated from Sudan, with Saudi Arabia having played a major role in the massive international rescue efforts.
“I don’t believe that the evacuation from Sudan would have been possible without the assistance of Saudi Arabia,” the Pakistani Ambassador to Sudan Meer Behrose Regi told Arab News on Monday.
“Without their help, it would have been impossible to transport people from Port Sudan to Jeddah.”
With the most intense fighting taking place in the capital Khartoum, many evacuees traveled to the relative safety of Port Sudan, from where many foreign nationals boarded Saudi ships to cross the Red Sea to Jeddah before flying back to their home countries.
“We extend our thanks to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who facilitated all Pakistanis and other missions from Port Sudan to Jeddah, providing them with free, five-star hotel accommodation,” Regi said.
As fighting continued in Sudan, Pakistan’s mission has been operating out of Port Sudan in a makeshift office with limited personnel, the envoy said, as around 300 Pakistanis were still in the country.
Regi, who returned to Pakistan in early May along with other staff due to safety concerns in Sudan, noted that he would be rejoining his mission later this week.
“We are currently assisting three to four people (Pakistanis) daily who are coming to Port Sudan,” he added.
“Our embassy in Port Sudan is not closed, it remains open in a camp office and the staff are already in Port Sudan, working and facilitating all Pakistanis.”
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Pakistani envoy lauds Saudi assistance in Sudan evacuations
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Pakistani envoy lauds Saudi assistance in Sudan evacuations
- More than 1,000 Pakistanis among foreign nationals evacuated from war-torn African country
- Evacuations from Port Sudan to Jeddah ‘impossible’ without Saudi help: Meer Behrose Regi
Malaysia drops appeal against acquittal of wife of ex-PM Najib in money laundering, tax evasion case
Malaysia drops appeal against acquittal of wife of ex-PM Najib in money laundering, tax evasion case
- Rosmah Mansor was widely scorned in Malaysia for her extravagant lifestyle and penchant for luxury handbags
- She was acquitted of 12 money laundering charges and five tax evasion charges by the Kuala Lumpur High Court
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian prosecutors have dropped their appeal against the acquittal of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak, in a case involving money laundering and tax evasion, saying they saw no prospect of success. Since 2018, the couple have been subject to multiple graft investigations surrounding Najib’s alleged role in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal. Both have repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.
Rosmah, widely scorned in Malaysia for her extravagant lifestyle and penchant for luxury handbags, was acquitted of 12 money laundering charges and five tax evasion charges by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in December 2024.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers initially decided to appeal the decision but withdrew its application on Tuesday, saying it could not definitively prove that Rosmah committed the offenses.
“If the appeal proceeded, the prosecution would not be able to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt as required in a criminal trial, as key witnesses needed to prove the charges against the accused have died,” the AGC said in a statement late on Thursday.
Amer Hamzah Arshad, a lawyer for Rosmah, said on Friday that they welcomed the prosecution’s appeal withdrawal, adding that Rosmah “maintained her innocence throughout.”
The decision does not affect other ongoing trials against Rosmah, the AGC said.
Rosmah is currently free on bail pending an appeal against a 10-year jail sentence in 2022 for soliciting and receiving bribes to help a company win a $279 million solar power supply project from Najib’s government.
The AGC’s appeal withdrawal against Rosmah’s acquittal comes ahead of major court verdicts involving Najib, who is serving a six-year jail sentence after being found guilty of graft and money laundering.
Najib’s conviction was one of several cases investigating his involvement in the alleged theft of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state fund he helped establish in 2009 while he was premier. The Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide on December 22 whether the jailed former premier can serve his sentence under house arrest. Just days later on December 26, it will deliver its verdict in the biggest trial that Najib faces concerning 1MDB. Some 1MDB-linked charges against Najib have been dropped. He has denied all of the charges brought against him.
Rosmah, widely scorned in Malaysia for her extravagant lifestyle and penchant for luxury handbags, was acquitted of 12 money laundering charges and five tax evasion charges by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in December 2024.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers initially decided to appeal the decision but withdrew its application on Tuesday, saying it could not definitively prove that Rosmah committed the offenses.
“If the appeal proceeded, the prosecution would not be able to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt as required in a criminal trial, as key witnesses needed to prove the charges against the accused have died,” the AGC said in a statement late on Thursday.
Amer Hamzah Arshad, a lawyer for Rosmah, said on Friday that they welcomed the prosecution’s appeal withdrawal, adding that Rosmah “maintained her innocence throughout.”
The decision does not affect other ongoing trials against Rosmah, the AGC said.
Rosmah is currently free on bail pending an appeal against a 10-year jail sentence in 2022 for soliciting and receiving bribes to help a company win a $279 million solar power supply project from Najib’s government.
The AGC’s appeal withdrawal against Rosmah’s acquittal comes ahead of major court verdicts involving Najib, who is serving a six-year jail sentence after being found guilty of graft and money laundering.
Najib’s conviction was one of several cases investigating his involvement in the alleged theft of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state fund he helped establish in 2009 while he was premier. The Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide on December 22 whether the jailed former premier can serve his sentence under house arrest. Just days later on December 26, it will deliver its verdict in the biggest trial that Najib faces concerning 1MDB. Some 1MDB-linked charges against Najib have been dropped. He has denied all of the charges brought against him.
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