Pakistan has condemned attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia on merchant vessels and seafarers in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, calling for their immediate cessation and stressing the need to safeguard freedom of navigation and commercial shipping.Speaking at a UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting titled “Safe Seas, Shared Security: Protecting Freedom of Navigation in an Evolving Security Environment”, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, warned that disruptions to key maritime routes could have far-reaching consequences for global peace, trade and energy and food security.“Pakistan strongly condemns the nefarious designs of Houthi militia to weaponise Bab al-Mandab by launching attacks on merchant shipping and innocent seafarers navigating the Strait,” he said.
Ambassador Ahmad said the attacks posed a threat to maritime security as well as regional peace and development, while reaffirming Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and prosperity.
Calling for an immediate halt to the attacks, he warned that continued escalation could have serious consequences for maritime security and regional stability.Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, the envoy expressed concern over attacks and disruptions affecting commercial shipping and called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions, protection of vessels and their crews, and restoration of normal maritime traffic.
He noted that the Strait of Hormuz was a critical international trade route and that disruptions could have significant repercussions for global energy and fertiliser supplies.
Ambassador Ahmad said that as a littoral state of the Indian Ocean and a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Pakistan attached “paramount importance to maritime safety and security”.“It is our principled position that global shipping should not become a casualty of conflict and strife. Instead, it should remain a driver of global trade and economy,” he said.
Referring to Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts following hostilities between Iran and the United States, the envoy said Islamabad had worked to promote de-escalation and wider regional stability, efforts that culminated in a ceasefire and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
He reiterated Pakistan’s support for diplomatic engagement and a negotiated settlement of outstanding issues to facilitate an early return to normalcy on land and at sea.
Ambassador Ahmad said Pakistan would continue working with regional and international partners to promote maritime peace and security and ensure the safety of commercial shipping.
