Pakistan on Friday called on Yemen’s Houthis to cease all attacks on merchant ships and seafarers in Bab al-Mandab, condemning the group’s attempt to weaponize the waterway.
Addressing a UNSC Arria-Formula meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad emphasized the need to protect freedom of navigation and the safety of commercial shipping. He said the attacks on merchant vessels in the strait and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz had demonstrated that maritime crisis could have far-reaching consequences for global peace, stability, energy security and food security.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the nefarious designs of Houthi militia to weaponize Bab al-Mandab by launching attacks on merchant shipping and innocent seafarers navigating the strait,” he said, reiterating Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia. He said the Houthi attacks “seriously undermine maritime security and threaten peace and development of regional countries.”
The ambassador maintained that such provocative acts by the Houthis “could have dire consequences for maritime security, and regional peace and stability.”
On the Strait of Hormuz, he said Pakistan was deeply concerned by ongoing supply disruptions and attacks on commercial shipping. He called for “an immediate de-escalation of tensions, security of ships and crew members, and restoration of normal passage through the strait.” He stressed the Strait was a critical maritime trade route, with disruptions having significant implications for global energy and fertilizer supplies.
The envoy emphasized that Pakistan, as a littoral state of the Indian Ocean and a party to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, attached “paramount importance to maritime safety and security.” He stressed that Pakistan’s principled position remained that “global shipping should not become a casualty of conflict and strife. Instead, it should remain a driver of global trade and economy.”
The envoy also underscored the country’s diplomatic efforts following the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and the United States on Feb. 28, saying Islamabad led efforts for de-escalation and broader regional stability, culminating in a ceasefire and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to diplomatic engagement, saying that Islamabad would continue efforts “for a negotiated settlement of all outstanding issues for an early return to normalcy at sea and land.”
Islamabad would continue to work with others nations in the region and beyond to advance maritime peace and security and ensure the safety of commercial shipping and merchant vessels, he added.