ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan on Tuesday firmly rejected speculative reports that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets and naval ships were part of the military action in Yemen.
In a statement issued in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam termed reports by Reuter news agency and other such reports as ‘speculative, misleading and incorrect.’
On Monday, Reuter news agency citing a senior government official reported that Pakistan would send troops to Saudi Arabia to give military support to a coalition of mainly Gulf states fighting Yemeni Houthi rebels.
The official said that Pakistan would join a Saudi-led military coalition conducting air strikes against Shi’ite Houthi forces, according to Reuters.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over a high level meeting in Islamabad in connection with evacuation plan of stranded Pakistanis in Yemen.
The prime minister was briefed about the plight of expatriate so far stranded in Yemen.
The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the first phase of evacuation, and directed the concerned authorities to ensure safe return of remaining stranded countrymen.
Meanwhile, a high-level delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and comprising Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and senior military officials including Chief of General Staff of Pak Army Lt. General Muhammad Ashfaq and Deputy Chief of Air Staff reached Saudi Arabia to discuss important issues in the context of on-going Middle East crisis.
