Pakistan warns of swift retaliation over attacks on Red Sea vessels
Pakistan warned it would swiftly retaliate against any attack on its flagged or commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The statement underlined support for Saudi Arabia while urging restraint and diplomacy in the Gulf.
Pakistan on Thursday said it would respond swiftly to any hostile act against vessels carrying its flag or against its maritime interests in the Red Sea, warning that such actions would be treated as a grave threat to national security. The statement came after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier in the day.
At a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said any attack against Pakistani-flagged vessels or its commercial ships would be "treated as an attack against Pakistan and will be swiftly retaliated" against. He added that such a hostile act would be regarded as a grave threat to Pakistan's national security and said, "We will do so in our exercise of self-defence."
Pakistan has so far avoided being drawn into the armed conflict despite a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. Andrabi also "unequivocally" condemned the continued threat by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, saying it endangers regional security, freedom of navigation and global trade.
He reiterated that Pakistan remained committed to implementing all bilateral agreements with Saudi Arabia, including agreements on mutual defence. On the situation in the Gulf region, he repeated Pakistan's call for all sides to exercise restraint and said Islamabad was continuing its diplomatic outreach in support of dialogue and diplomacy.
The Houthi rebels had earlier announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block Saudi vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for what they described as Riyadh's blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Separately, the Foreign Office spokesperson strongly rejected Amnesty International's latest report on Pakistan's strikes in Kabul. He said it was unfortunate that such serious allegations had been presented without any credible evidence.
He also expressed disappointment over the EU report on Pakistan's compliance under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, which gives preferential treatment to Pakistan's textile goods in European markets. He said the EU report "understates the breadth of reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined GSP+ in 2014" and "places disproportionate emphasis on the lower-than-desired progress in a few areas".
In sum, Pakistan used the briefing to warn of swift retaliation over any attack on its flagged or commercial vessels, restate support for its agreements with Saudi Arabia, call for restraint in the Gulf, and push back against recent reports by Amnesty International and the EU.
With PTI Inputs
Pakistan on Thursday said it would respond swiftly to any hostile act against vessels carrying its flag or against its maritime interests in the Red Sea, warning that such actions would be treated as a grave threat to national security. The statement came after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier in the day.
At a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said any attack against Pakistani-flagged vessels or its commercial ships would be "treated as an attack against Pakistan and will be swiftly retaliated" against. He added that such a hostile act would be regarded as a grave threat to Pakistan's national security and said, "We will do so in our exercise of self-defence."
Pakistan has so far avoided being drawn into the armed conflict despite a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. Andrabi also "unequivocally" condemned the continued threat by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, saying it endangers regional security, freedom of navigation and global trade.
He reiterated that Pakistan remained committed to implementing all bilateral agreements with Saudi Arabia, including agreements on mutual defence. On the situation in the Gulf region, he repeated Pakistan's call for all sides to exercise restraint and said Islamabad was continuing its diplomatic outreach in support of dialogue and diplomacy.
The Houthi rebels had earlier announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block Saudi vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for what they described as Riyadh's blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Separately, the Foreign Office spokesperson strongly rejected Amnesty International's latest report on Pakistan's strikes in Kabul. He said it was unfortunate that such serious allegations had been presented without any credible evidence.
He also expressed disappointment over the EU report on Pakistan's compliance under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, which gives preferential treatment to Pakistan's textile goods in European markets. He said the EU report "understates the breadth of reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined GSP+ in 2014" and "places disproportionate emphasis on the lower-than-desired progress in a few areas".
In sum, Pakistan used the briefing to warn of swift retaliation over any attack on its flagged or commercial vessels, restate support for its agreements with Saudi Arabia, call for restraint in the Gulf, and push back against recent reports by Amnesty International and the EU.
With PTI Inputs
Pakistan on Thursday said it would respond swiftly to any hostile act against vessels carrying its flag or against its maritime interests in the Red Sea, warning that such actions would be treated as a grave threat to national security. The statement came after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier in the day.
At a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said any attack against Pakistani-flagged vessels or its commercial ships would be "treated as an attack against Pakistan and will be swiftly retaliated" against. He added that such a hostile act would be regarded as a grave threat to Pakistan's national security and said, "We will do so in our exercise of self-defence."
Pakistan has so far avoided being drawn into the armed conflict despite a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. Andrabi also "unequivocally" condemned the continued threat by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, saying it endangers regional security, freedom of navigation and global trade.
He reiterated that Pakistan remained committed to implementing all bilateral agreements with Saudi Arabia, including agreements on mutual defence. On the situation in the Gulf region, he repeated Pakistan's call for all sides to exercise restraint and said Islamabad was continuing its diplomatic outreach in support of dialogue and diplomacy.
The Houthi rebels had earlier announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block Saudi vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for what they described as Riyadh's blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Separately, the Foreign Office spokesperson strongly rejected Amnesty International's latest report on Pakistan's strikes in Kabul. He said it was unfortunate that such serious allegations had been presented without any credible evidence.
He also expressed disappointment over the EU report on Pakistan's compliance under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, which gives preferential treatment to Pakistan's textile goods in European markets. He said the EU report "understates the breadth of reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined GSP+ in 2014" and "places disproportionate emphasis on the lower-than-desired progress in a few areas".
In sum, Pakistan used the briefing to warn of swift retaliation over any attack on its flagged or commercial vessels, restate support for its agreements with Saudi Arabia, call for restraint in the Gulf, and push back against recent reports by Amnesty International and the EU.
With PTI Inputs
