LAHORE, Pakistan: The Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan will fully defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia is our great friend, which always stood by Pakistan through thick and thin,” the minister said while addressing a function in Lahore on Monday.
Separately talking to media in Islamabad on Monday, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that that safe evacuation of all Pakistanis stranded in Yemen is top priority of the government.
“Pakistan wants peace in the region including Middle East,” the minister said.
The minister said that Pakistan will not join war of any other country but it is ready to defend territorial integrity and sovereignty of Saudi Arabia.
On the other hand, the first phase of the evacuation of Pakistanis stranded in Yemen was completed on Sunday night with the return of 503 compatriots from Al-Hudaydah in a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane.
The plane first landed at the Karachi Airport where it unloaded 164 passengers. Later, it proceeded to Islamabad with 339 passengers.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched military operations including air strikes in Yemen to counter Iran-backed Houthi forces besieging the southern city of Aden.
