ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday there was no danger of Pakistan getting caught up in a sectarian war.

“So many minorities and sects live in Pakistan,” Khawaja Asif said while talking to Reuters on the issue of Saudi-Yemen conflict.

“Whatever assurances we give Saudi Arabia is to defend its territorial integrity, but I assure (you) that there is no danger of us getting involved in a sectarian war.”

Pakistan evacuated over 500 of its nationals by plane from Yemen on Sunday during a brief pause in air strikes by a Saudi-led military coalition against Houthi forces, a Saudi military spokesman said.

Saudi military spokesman Brig Gen Ahmed Asseri said operations around the Red Sea port of Hodeida stopped for more than two hours on Sunday to allow the Pakistani evacuation.

“Around 500 Pakistani nationals were evacuated on Pakistani planes after the coalition forces provided a safe passage for them,” Gen Asseri told a news conference in Riyadh.

“They were evacuated and arrived back in their country.”

Their departure came a day after Saudi Arabia evacuated dozens of diplomats from Yemen and the United Nations pulled out international staff from the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

A Chinese vessel also docked in the southern Yemeni port of Aden on Sunday to transport Chinese diplomats, medical staff and technicians, a port source said.

Yemeni fighters loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi clashed with Houthi fighters on Sunday in downtown Aden, the absent leader’s last major foothold in the country. Mr Hadi has reportedly fled to Saudi Arabia.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2015

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