The evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from conflict-hit Sudan picked up pace on Friday with 149 nationals safely reaching Karachi via a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) passenger aircraft. The airlift was commenced following directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, said a statement. The PAF chief ordered the service's transport fleet to carry out a swift evacuation of Pakistanis stranded in Sudan. The 149 Pakistani nationals reached Karachi via Jeddah on a PAF Airbus aircraft. Meanwhile, a PAF C-130 with 110 people will land later today. The air force made efforts to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan embassies in Sudan and Saudi Arabia. PAF aircraft are evacuating nationals from Port Sudan New International Airport. Evacuated families expressed their gratitude to the government of Pakistan and appreciated the PAF for their timely rescue amidst the rapidly deteriorating situation in the northeastern African nation. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said 700 nationals have been evacuated to safety in Sudan, where heavy fighting has killed hundreds of people and sparked an exodus of foreigners. "Today, another convoy carrying 211 Pakistanis dispatched from Khartoum has arrived in Port Sudan," he said in a statement. Read 37 Pakistanis safely reach Jeddah from Sudan port: FO "With the latest convoy, the total number of Pakistanis who have been evacuated to safety has reached 700." Pakistanis were being housed near the port before their onward journey, he tweeted earlier this week. The ministry said around 1,500 Pakistanis were present in Sudan, whose safety and security were being closely monitored. Fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). At least 459 people had been killed and more than 4,000 injured as of Tuesday across Africa's third-biggest country, according to UN agencies. The fighting also destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in a nation heavily reliant on aid. A three-day US-brokered ceasefire brought some calm to the capital Khartoum, but witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.
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