At least three Pakistani nationals have been killed in a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea amid Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic efforts to ease escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the deaths on Wednesday, saying another Pakistani sustained injuries in the incident.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel. 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,” DPM Dar wrote in a post on X.
The deputy prime minister said the government was in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognised government of Yemen, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it.
DPM Dar said that he had directed the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with the concerned authorities and pursue all necessary measures for the retrieval and repatriation of the deceased Pakistanis’ mortal remains and for the provision of all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani national.
He added that the government was closely following the situation and will continue to remain in close contact with the concerned authorities.
Last month, Pakistan condemned the continued threats issued by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, warning that such actions endanger regional security and global trade.
In a statement on July 22, the Foreign Office said that the threats undermined freedom of navigation, challenged the rules-based maritime order and jeopardised the uninterrupted flow of global commerce.
A day later, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to continue working very closely to maintain regional peace, security, and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime commerce through the Red Sea.
The agreement came during a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, wherein the premier condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea in the strongest possible terms.
Later, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah joint defence pact, establishing a collective security framework that considers an armed attack against any member state as an attack against all three countries.
DPM Dar stressed that the pact was defensive in nature and aimed at promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the wider region.
The fresh attack comes amid Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Iran, where he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Pakistan and Qatar have been the main mediators in the Middle East conflict in which thousands have been killed — mainly in Iran and Lebanon — since US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
During his meeting with the Iranian president, Naqvi conveyed a special message from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir to the Iranian president, sources told Geo News.
The security czar also briefed the Iranian president about the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, source said.
The US and Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping on Tuesday as prospects for ending the Middle East war appeared to dim, with Tehran reiterating that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions.
The attacks, in the Gulf of Oman leading to the strait and at the entrance to the Red Sea — both vital chokepoints for global oil supplies — come as the war shows no signs of ending.
However, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday the US and Iran were close to “some sort” of deal, and fellow mediator Qatar said talks on managing Hormuz were at an advanced stage.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Asif said “things are shaping up again in favour of a peace arrangement or a deal.”
“The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement.”
