India appreciates Pakistan's gesture of evacuating its nationals from Yemen

NEW DELHI: As Pakistan ferried 11 Indians whom it evacuated from strife-torn Yemen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today thanked his counterpart Nawaz Sharif for the "humanitarian gesture" and remarked that "service to humanity knows no borders".

"I welcome our 11 citizens who've returned from Yemen with assistance from Pakistan. Thank you PM Nawaz Sharif for your humanitarian gesture," Modi tweeted.

"Service to humanity knows no borders. Glad we helped many countries in evacuation from Yemen," he added.

The Prime Minister noted that India too also extended help to Pakistan and other neighbours Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka to evacuate their citizens from Yemen.

Sharif had yesterday offered to send the 11 Indians evacuated by Pakistani Navy from Yemen by a special flight, which was readily accepted by India. They were airlifted from Karachi to New Delhi today.

Earlier today, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar also appreciated Pakistan, saying "it was a very positive, good, generous gesture... Pakistan took great trouble and we need to appreciate that."

The Indians were evacuated by a Pakistani Navy ship from Yemen to Karachi along with 171 Pakistanis.

Jaishankar said the crisis like in Yemen provides an opportunity for countries to work together as he noted that India too had evacuated 409 nationals of 32 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

"Different countries are helping out irrespective of nationalities," he said, adding India sees it as an opportunity to cooperate with each other while some may see it as "posturing".