Pakistan condemns Houthi strike that killed 3 of its citizens

• Pakistan condemned a Houthi rebel strike on a Red Sea vessel that killed three Pakistani citizens and wounded one.
• Pakistan maintains a defensive defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey and is mediating between Iran and the US amid regional tensions.
• The Yemen truce collapsed in July, escalating conflict between Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed government, raising concerns over Pakistan's neutrality.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan denounced on Aug 12 an attack by Houthi rebels on a vessel in the Red Sea in which three of its citizens were killed.

Yemen’s coastguard said on Aug 11 that a strike by the Iran-backed rebels on a vessel left six dead, including Pakistanis and an Indonesian citizen.

There has been no official comment from the Houthis about the incident.

“I have learnt with deep concern about the unfortunate incident,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar posted on social media platform, confirming three Pakistanis had been killed and one wounded in the attack.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” Dar added.

His country holds a defence pact with Saudi Arabia – expanded last week to include Turkey – and is mediating between Iran and the United States in search of a resolution to hostilities.

Some analysts question whether Islamabad will face challenges in maintaining neutrality as more countries are drawn into fighting in the Middle East.

“We are 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,” Dar said.

Pakistan has stressed that its defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which considers an attack on any of the three member countries an attack on all, is “purely defensive in nature” and “not targeted against any country”.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is currently in Iran to discuss regional security, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Aug 12.

A years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government collapsed in July as fighting flared between Iran and the United States.