India accepts Pakistan's offer to bring back 11 Indians from Yemen by special plane

New Delhi: India on Tuesday night accepted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s offer to send by a special plane 11 Indians who were evacuated by a Pakistani Navy ship from strife-torn Yemen to Karachi. [caption id=“attachment_2188347” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] India will end its air evacuation operation in Yemen. PTI[/caption] The Indians, who were taken out of Al Mukallah on Saturday by Pakistan Navy’s Aslat along with 171 Pakistanis, are now in Karachi and will be flown to New Delhi on Wednesday by the special plane following Sharif’s gesture. “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offers Indian High Commission Islamabad a special aircraft to take 11 Indians (evacuated from Yemen) from Pakistan to India,” the Pakistan High Commissioner to India said in New Delhi. Shortly after Sharif’s offer was conveyed by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin announced that India has accepted the offer. “India accepts Pakistan’s offer to fly back from Karachi by special plane 11 Indians evacuated by Pakistani naval ship from Yemen,” he said. It is understood that India’s acceptance came after a nod from the political leadership. India had also accepted help from other countries like the US, Bangladesh, and Iraq for evacuating its citizens from Yemen, according to Indian Express. According to Pakistan Foreign Office last week, the 11 Indians along with 171 others were evacuated by the PNS Aslat from Yemen’s southeastern city of Mokallah, which is now almost entirely under control of al Qaeda militants. Indian authorities had also evacuated Pakistani nationals from the Yemeni port of Al Hodeidah last week along with citizens of several other countries. Moreover, after evacuating around 4000 Indians from Yemen, India has decided to end its air evacuation operation.

We will end r air evacuation efforts from Sana'a tomorrow, 8th April.
All who want to avail should leave tomorrow. Spread the word around.

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) April 7, 2015

However, the government might continue with evacuation by the sea route for some more time, according to Indian Express. PTI