DUBAI: The economic implications of the attacks on Aramco oil facilities will be felt way further than the region, say representatives of the Pakistani community in the UAE.
Expressing concerns over the attacks that took place on Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil supply chain early on Saturday, the Pakistani community members in the UAE said that the economic outcomes will pose a challenge immediately and in the long run as well.
“Conflict is in nobody’s interest and whoever is behind the attacks, obviously has a bigger agenda,” Javed Khamisani, CEO of Allianz Hosting, an IT Services Company operating in the UAE, Pakistan and UK, told Arab News.
“We, in the UAE, are not immune to implications of the attack and the consequential increase in the oil prices. In fact, the impact will be felt globally and especially so in Pakistan which is highly dependent on imports,” said Khamisani.
Global oil prices are already 10 percent higher since the attack on the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure.
Ahmed Shaikhani, vice president of Pakistan Business Council (PBC) in Dubai, condemned the attack in clear terms.
“This attack should not have happened...the economic conditions are already not too viable worldwide and will further become challenging after this incident including in the UAE,” he told Arab News, adding that the common man would bear the brunt of this attack.
According to Khamisani, the disruption in oil production would drive up costs, impacting the salaried class majorly. “Transport costs will go up and it will make a huge difference to the day to day life of common man...budgets will be affected. This will happen only in the UAE, where majority of the people are from the salaried class, but even beyond the region, until Pakistan.”
However, the President of Pakistan Business Council (PBC) in Dubai, Iqbal Dawood was quite optimistic that the situation would was short lived and would be handled well.
“A disturbance has definitely been created and oil prices have gone up but I am positive that all the problems will be resolved in a proper manner since the leadership in Saudi Arabia is very strong,” he said.
The attacks on Aramco’s main crude processing facility knocked out 5.7 million barrels of daily oil production for Saudi Arabia, or more than five percent of the world’s daily crude production.
Dr. Hadi Shahid, Chartered Accountant and Managing Partner, Alliot, UAE said that “We, as a community, feel terrible and all our support is with Saudi Arabia at this point,” adding that the country’s leadership was strong and would get to the heart of the matter.
Global energy prices spiked Monday by a percentage unseen since the 1991 Gulf War after the weekend attack on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia caused the worst disruption to world supplies on record, further fueling heightened tensions between Iran and the US.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest crude exporter and one of the top producers. The attack removed half of its output- 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd), or the equivalent to five percent of global supplies.
Aramco attack implications to go beyond region: Pakistani expats
Aramco attack implications to go beyond region: Pakistani expats
- Say the economic conditions will become challenging after this incident including in the UAE
- As a community, feel terrible and all our support is with Saudi Arabia,” - Pakistani expat Dr Hadi Shahid
Bangladesh flag carrier to launch Dhaka–Karachi flights this month after over 13 years
- Inaugural flight scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Karachi on Jan, 29, says Biman Bangladesh Airlines spokesperson
- Airline will operate two weekly flights from the Bangladeshi capital to Pakistan’s commercial hub on Thursdays and Saturdays
ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh’s flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced it will launch direct passenger flights between the cities of Dhaka and Karachi after over 13 years later this month, the airline said on Thursday, as both nations improve historically bitter ties.
Biman will operate two weekly flights to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city by population and its commercial hub, on Thursdays and Saturdays, the airline’s spokesperson Boshra Islam told Arab News.
“Biman is launching its Karachi operations on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,” she said, adding that the inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Dhaka at 8:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 p.m. Pakistan time.
Pakistan has granted Biman initial permission to operate the route for three months until Mar. 26, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. The approval would be extended later, the official said.
The restoration of the airline’s flights to Pakistan marks a significant step in restoring direct air connectivity between the two South Asian nations.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until 1971, when the latter split from the former after a bloody civil war and became the independent state of Bangladesh.
Ties between both have improved significantly since 2024, after the fall of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s government due to a student-led uprising. Hasina was widely viewed in Pakistan as being close to India and openly critical of Islamabad.
The resumption of passenger flights comes as aviation and trade links between the two countries begin to recover after decades of limited engagement.
In November last year, state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it had signed a cargo agreement with Biman Bangladesh Airlines aimed at streamlining air freight operations and boosting bilateral trade.
A PIA spokesperson said the airlines had entered into a Cargo Interline Special Agreement as part of PIA’s strategy to expand its cargo business and offer more competitive services to customers.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts to rebuild relations with Bangladesh as ties between Dhaka and New Delhi remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country.
In February last year, a cargo vessel sailed directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh for the first time in decades and successfully unloaded its containers, port officials said.
The two countries signed six agreements in August 2025 covering areas such as visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders, trade cooperation, media collaboration and cultural exchanges, officials said.
