The first batch of 149 Pakistanis evacuated from Sudan — where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed and wounded hundreds — arrived in Karachi on Friday, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
“The first batch of 149 Pakistanis evacuated from Sudan arrives safely in Karachi,” it said, adding 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”.
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 has ordered the PAF transport fleet to carry out the swift evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from conflict-hit Sudan.
Another PAF plane, carrying Pakistanis from Sudan, is also expected to arrive in the country today.
The PAF has been making efforts to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan embassies in Sudan and Saudi Arabia.
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.
On the directives of the prime minister, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu has ordered the PAF transport fleet to carry out the swift evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from conflict-hit Sudan.
Another PAF plane, carrying Pakistanis from Sudan, is also expected to arrive in the country today.
The PAF has been making efforts to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan embassies in Sudan and Saudi Arabia.
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.
A PAF spokesperson told Dawn.com that Pakistan Air Force would continue to repatriate their brothers and sisters in distress to their homeland.
Fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely much higher.
Earlier on Tuesday, the US brokered a three-day ceasefire between the warring general, but witnesses said it was repeatedly broken.
Amid the clashes, evacuations have been underway. On Wednesday, the FO said 37 Pakistani nationals arrived in Jeddah from Port Sudan via a ship. The boat carried 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries, which was the largest rescue effort by the Gulf state to date.
