ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ruling and opposition political parties on Thursday condemned a missile attack carried out by Houthi rebels on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, calling on the United Nations and world powers to take note of repeated assaults on the Kingdom that were endangering regional security.
The Houthis said on their media channels that they fired a cruise missile at Abha airport, which is located about 200 kilometers north of the border with Yemen and serves domestic and regional routes. At least 26 people were injured in the strike.
Wednesday’s attack follows armed drone strikes last month on two oil-pumping stations in the Kingdom. On Thursday, attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman left one ablaze and both adrift and drove oil prices up 4% over worries about Middle East supplies. The attacks were the second in a month near the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway for world oil supplies.
Omar Sarfraz Cheema, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s central information secretary, said it was against the UN charter and international law to target civilians in any conflict.
“We have always condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and vow to stand by the Kingdom in case of any threat to its territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he told Arab News.
The civil war in Yemen has pitted the Houthis against the government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened on the government’s side the following year, accusing Iran of supplying the Houthis with arms, including drones and missiles.
Since the beginning of the four-year conflict, the Houthis have fired dozens of missiles into Saudi Arabia, most of which have been intercepted by the Saudi military.
“We want peace in the Middle East and urge the United Nations to ensure an immediate ceasefire,” Pakistan Peoples Party’s senior leader Taj Haider told Arab News.
He said simmering tensions in the Arabian Gulf could put the security and safety of the whole region at stake, and it was thus the responsibility of the international community to “help resolve the conflicts among the Arab states as quickly as possible.”
Senator Mushahidullah Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said the Houthis were trying to undermine the security and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia “on the behest of some other countries,” but they would never succeed in their designs.
“The conflict in Yemen and rising tensions in the Arabian Gulf region are in no one’s interest, and Muslim countries should try to resolve them amicably at the platform of the OIC [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation],” he told Arab News.
Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, a lawmaker belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, said Houthis and “some other powers” were trying to destabilize Saudi Arabia through missile and rocket attacks without knowing that “they are playing with the fire.”
Pakistan’s foreign office on Wednesday evening condemned the Houthis for their missile attack on the Abha airport.
“Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity,” the foreign office said in a statement.
Pakistani leaders call for UN intervention as Houthis attack Saudi airport
Pakistani leaders call for UN intervention as Houthis attack Saudi airport
- 26 people injured by missile strike on civilian airport on Wednesday
- Attacks on two oil tankers on Thursday in Gulf of Oman left one ablaze and both adrift
Pakistan launches digital cash aid for low-income families during Ramadan, PM says
- Ramadan relief moves from state-run Utility Stores to targeted digital wallet transfers
- Government to transfer financial assistance through wallets to support sehri, iftar expenses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will provide financial assistance to low-income households through digital wallets during the fasting month of Ramadan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, announcing a government relief initiative aimed at helping families afford daily meals.
The support program comes as many Pakistanis continue to face elevated food and utility costs despite easing inflation, with Ramadan traditionally increasing household spending on staple foods, fruits and energy consumption.
For decades, government-run Utility Stores Corporation outlets were central to Ramadan relief in Pakistan, selling subsidized flour, sugar, ghee and pulses through special “Ramzan packages” that drew long queues in low-income neighborhoods. In recent years, however, authorities have steadily scaled back the system amid mounting losses, corruption complaints and logistical inefficiencies, shifting instead toward targeted cash transfers delivered through digital wallets and banking channels.
The change reflects a broader policy move away from state-managed commodity distribution toward direct financial assistance intended to give households flexibility while reducing leakages in subsidy programs.
“The Government of Pakistan has launched a Ramadan package under which financial assistance will be transferred to deserving individuals through digital wallets so that households can maintain sehri and iftar meals,” Sharif said in a message issued by his office.
The prime minister said Ramadan encourages compassion and collective responsibility toward vulnerable segments of society, adding that welfare support was part of the state’s duty during the holy month.
Officials say the digital cash transfers approach improves transparency and reduces corruption risks while enabling faster payments nationwide, particularly in urban low-income communities.
But the shift to fully digital assistance also brings challenges.
Access to smartphones and reliable mobile Internet remains uneven, particularly in rural areas and among older recipients, while many low-income households use SIM cards registered to someone else, complicating verification.
