The first batch of 149 Pakistanis evacuated from Sudan has safely reached Karachi, The foreign office said Friday.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed the development on Twitter stating that “Safe evacuation of every Pakistani and bringing them home safe remains our top priority”.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Air Force said that PAF Airbus carrying 149 passengers has safely landed at Karachi through Jeddah. PAF C-130 carrying 110 Pakistani passengers will land in later half of the day.

“On the directives of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force has ordered PAF transport fleet to carry out swift evacuation of stranded Pakistanis from conflict-hit Sudan.”

Air Force is making all-out efforts to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan Embassies in Sudan and Saudi Arabia, PAF said in a press release.

“Rescued Pakistanis from Port Sudan New International Airport are being transported by PAF aircraft.”

Pakistan Air Force would continue to repatriate the brothers and sisters in distress to their homeland, PAF added.

Moreover, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also welcomed them and said that they arrived “via a PIA-operated airbus”.

“We will continue to work until every Pakistani in Sudan is evacuated and brought home safe at the earliest,” he added.

Earlier, a ship carrying 37 Pakistanis from Sudan arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Wednesday.

“Evacuation plan for Pakistani nationals in Sudan continues. The ship carrying 37 Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan arrives in Jeddah,” it said in a tweet.

“They were received by Consulate General in Jeddah, Khalid Majid on arrival at Jeddah Port. We are grateful to the Government of KSA for its support and hospitality.”