ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Parliament on Monday that Saudi Arabia has sought fighter jets, ground troops and navy vessels to join coalition forces in their operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Briefing the joint-session of Parliament on the situation in Yemen, Asif informed the house on progress of evacuation of Pakistani nationals and Saudi Arabia’s request for military assistance from Pakistan.
He said the situation in Yemen had been deteriorating the last few weeks and raised several implications for Pakistan and the whole region.
Asif added that given the gravity of the situation and democratic traditions, PM Nawaz decided that the subject merits in-depth reflection in Parliament and this will help the government to reach decisions in national interests which are based on consensus.
The government’s priority was to ensure the safety of Pakistanis and PM Nawaz monitored the evacuation personally. A crisis cell was formed at the Ministry to Foreign Affairs for coordination of evacuation. “We rose to the expectations’ of our nation and successfully evacuated our nationals.”
Asif thanked the support provided by the government of Saudi Arabia for assistance in evacuation. He thanked China which also providing assistance.
The News International Pakistan
