BY ANZAL AMIN
ISLAMABAD: The first two batches of total 260 Pakistanis evacuated from Sudan — where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed and wounded hundreds — arrived in Karachi on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.
The first batch, comprising 149 individuals, arrived in the port city today morning, with the FO saying that the safe evacuation of every Pakistani and bringing them home was a “top priority”.
In a tweet, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari welcomed the first batch and vowed to continue work “until every Pakistani in Sudan is evacuated and brought home safe at the earliest”.
Hours later, the FO said a second batch of 111 stranded Pakistan had also reached Karachi. “With the latest flight, 260 Pakistanis have returned home safely,” it added.
The stranded Pakistanis were evacuated from Sudan through Jeddah via a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Airbus and C-130 Hercules aircraft.
On the directives of the prime minister, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu had ordered the PAF transport fleet to carry out the swift evacuation of Pakistanis from conflict-hit Sudan.
After safely arriving in Pakistan, the evacuated families expressed their gratitude to the government and appreciated the Pakistan Air Force for their timely rescue amidst the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan.
Following the arrival of the first batch of Pakistanis from Sudan, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a press briefing that two more flights carrying around 200 Pakistanis were expected to arrive later in the day.
“One of them originated from Port Sudan and the other from Jeddah to bring back Pakistanis who had earlier been evacuated there,” she stated, highlighting that the evacuation was made possible because of the “robust inter-agency process led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.
Detailing the government’s evacuation plan, Baloch said that 800 Pakistanis were transported from Khartoum to Port Sudan — which is relatively safe than other parts of the country — in the first phase.
The second phase of the evacuation operation consisted of transporting Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or directly to Pakistan.
“Today’s flights, operating from Port Sudan via Jeddah, mark the first part of this second phase,” the FO spokesperson said, adding that additional flights were also planned.
Meanwhile, she continued, evacuation from Port Sudan to Jeddah continued via ferries operated by the Saudi government. Some passengers would also be transferred onboard a Chinese ship from Port Sudan to Jeddah.
“We remain engaged with friendly countries in the region and are especially grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for facilitating this process by providing transport by ferry from Port Sudan to Jeddah and also hosting Pakistani nationals until their repatriation to Pakistan,” Baloch said.
She added that the Consulate General Jeddah would continue to coordinate with Saudi authorities and extend assistance to Pakistanis during transit through Jeddah.
