Pakistan evacuates 11 Indians along with 148 Pakistanis from Yemen

Pakistan on Saturday said it has evacuated 11 Indians along with 148 Pakistani citizens from strife-torn Yemen's southeastern city of Mokallah, which is now almost entirely under control of al-Qaeda militants.

The PNS Aslat has set off for Pakistan after successfully evacuating 148 citizens and 35 foreigners, including 11 Indians, from Mokallah, the Foreign Office said. The PNS Aslat, despatched earlier, arrived in Mokallah yesterday. The roads leading to the port had been closed.

"Therefore, through a discreetly planned exercise, the operation was switched to nearby Ash Shihr port and 148 Pakistanis have been safely evacuated, earlier today.

"35 other foreign nationals also requiring emergency evacuation are also on board. These include 8 Chinese, 11 Indians and 4 British citizens. The ship will arrive at Karachi on April 7," the FO said in a statement. Mokallah, the capital of Yemen's south-eastern Hadramawt province, was now almost entirely under control of militants of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), after they stormed a jail and freed 300 inmates a day earlier.