Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned an attack by Yemeni Houthis on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea, regretting it had claimed the lives of three Pakistanis.
The attack targeting Tanzania-flagged vessel Tihamah occurred the day prior, causing several deaths and injuries among its crew. Apart from the three Pakistanis, an Indonesian national was also killed in the attack.
In a posting on X, Dar said he had also received reports of a Pakistani injured in the attack. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” he said. “Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” he added.
“Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” he continued. “We are in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognized government of Yemen, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it,” he said.
The foreign minister said he had directed the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with the authorities concerned and “strongly pursue all necessary measures” for the retrieval and repatriation of the dead, as well as the provision of all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani national.
“We are closely following the situation and will continue to remain in close contact with the concerned authorities,” he added.
Separately, the Foreign Office spokesperson reiterated during his weekly press briefing that efforts were underway to repatriate the remains of the killed nationals and to provide assistance to the injured.
“The Government of Pakistan will continue to closely follow the situation and will share the details with the media as and when available,” he said, stressing Islamabad supported freedom of navigation in maritime security of international waterways under international law.
“Pakistan is the signatory of this coalition,” he said of a Saudi maritime coalition. “We abide by its communique and we are ready and willing to assist Saudi Arabia and other coalition partners as an operationalization of this communique to preserve the safety and security of global maritime,” he said.