Pakistan condemns Houthi Red Sea attack after three nationals killed

Pakistan condemned the Houthi attack on the Tanzania-flagged vessel Tihamah after three of its nationals were killed in the Red Sea. The killings have sharpened Islamabad's repatriation efforts and renewed concerns over maritime security in the region.Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the killing of three of its nationals in an attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea region, saying such incidents pose a "serious threat" to freedom of navigation, maritime security and the safety of commercial shipping. The statement came after the Tanzania-flagged vessel Tihamah was targeted in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.On Tuesday, four seafarers — three Pakistanis and an Indonesian — were killed in the attack, and many others were injured. The vessel was targeted by the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have intensified attacks in the region after announcing a maritime ban on Saudi-linked vessels last month."Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel," Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on X. "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," said Dar, who is also Pakistan's foreign minister.Dar said officials were in contact with the authorities in Saudi Arabia and Yemen for details of the incident and for the repatriation of the bodies. "I have directed our Embassy in Riyadh to immediately coordinate with the concerned authorities, and to strongly pursue all necessary measures for the retrieval and repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals and for the provision of all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani national," he said. "We are closely following the situation," the minister added. Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan supports freedom of navigation and maritime security of international waterways under international law. He also said Pakistan is a signatory to the maritime coalition announced by Saudi Arabia and is ready and willing to assist Saudi Arabia and other coalition partners to preserve the safety and security of the global supply chain as well as maritime traffic.The attack came days after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" on August 7 amid rising security concerns linked to escalating tensions in West Asia. Under the trilateral agreement, an attack on one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all. India said on Tuesday that it was assessing the implications of the pact for its national security as well as regional peace and stability. In all, Pakistan's response focused on the deaths of its nationals, the repatriation effort and its wider concerns over maritime security in the region. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 12, 2026 17:04 IST