Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Wednesday said that his nation's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, 'feels strongly' about the people of India, stating that New Delhi and Islamabad can build on such 'positive gestures'.
Basit's statement came after he received the 11 Indian nationals who had been rescued by a Pakistani naval ship from strife-torn Yemen and later flown by special aircraft from Karachi to Delhi.
"Prime Minister Mohd. Nawaz Sharif directed that these special Indian guests are flown to New Delhi via a special aircraft. So, they just landed and I welcome them here. This gesture on the part of our Prime Minister shows that how strongly he feels about the people of India and I am sure that in the months and years ahead we can build on these positive gestures," Basit told the media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Wednesday extended his thanks to Islamabad and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif after a naval ship of the Islamic Republic rescued 11 Indian nationals from strife-hit Yemen.
The Prime Minister took to twitter to share his message.
"I welcome our 11 citizens who've returned from Yemen with assistance from Pakistan. Thank you PM Nawaz Sharif for your humanitarian gesture," he posted.
Meanwhile, India has launched massive efforts to evacuate around 4,000 nationals, more than half of them nurses, out of Yemen, where Shi'ite Houthi fighters have swept in Aden despite an air campaign led by Saudi Arabia to check their advance.
India has also evacuated a total of 232 persons from 26 countries from Yemen.
