Pakistan's FM condemns Houthi attack in Abu Dhabi

A picture shows a partial view of the Msaffah industrial district in the Emiarti capital Abu Dhabi, UAE, on January 17, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 18 January 2022
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Pakistan's FM condemns Houthi attack in Abu Dhabi

  • Houthi rebels targeted an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, killing three people including a Pakistani national
  • FM Qureshi says ‘such acts of terrorism are a violation of the sovereignty’ of the United Arab Emirates

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday condemned an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calling the act a violation of the principle of state sovereignty while demanding an end to such military strikes.
Qureshi issued the statement during a phone call with UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan who shared details of the recent attack in Abu Dhabi in which three people, including a Pakistani, were killed while six others were wounded.
The UAE official also expressed grief over the death of the Pakistani citizen.




Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, holds a phone call with UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (not pictured) in Islamabad, Pakistan, on January 18, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Foreign Office of Pakistan)

The UAE is part of Arab Coalition in Yemen which has been fighting Houthi rebels, who have also repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia with cross-border strikes.
A Pakistani and two Indians working for oil giant ADNOC died as three petrol tanks exploded near a storage facility, while a fire also ignited in a construction area at the Abu Dhabi airport.
The rebel group claimed responsibility of the attack, saying it had used missiles and drones to target the oil facility.
“Such acts of terrorism are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United Arab Emirates,” the Pakistani foreign minister said. “They also pose a serious threat to the overall peace and stability and must be stopped immediately.”

Earlier in the day, the Pakistan embassy in the UAE said in a Twitter post it was closely working “with the family of the victim of 17 January terrorist attack in Abu Dhabi to get his remains repatriated to Pakistan.”
It also confirmed that the injured Pakistanis were getting medical treatment and were in good health.


Pakistan’s foreign office issued a condemnation of the Houthi attack on Monday night, pointing out that it targeted civilian areas in Abu Dhabi while offering condolences to the families of the victims and wishing speedy recovery to the injured.
It maintained such attacks violated the sovereignty of the UAE and posed a grave threat to the regional peace and security while demanding their immediate cessation.
“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brotherly people and government of the United Arab Emirates in the face of this wanton act of terrorism,” the statement said.




Men stand next to a tank at a storage facility of oil giant ADNOC in the Msaffah industrial district in the Emiarti capital Abu Dhabi on January 17, 2022. (AFP)

Pakistani political leaders also joined the chorus with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemning the “terrorist” attack.
“Pakistan condemns attacks in Abu Dhabi,” Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aide on the Middle East, Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, said in a statement.
“Pakistan considers security and stability of UAE as security and defense of Pakistan. We assure the UAE of Pakistan’s full support and cooperation.”
Ashrafi said the security and peace of Saudi Arabia and the UAE was “very dear” to Pakistan. “[We] can’t tolerate any step against the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he said.
Raja Zafarul Haq, a senior figure of the opposition’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, demanded the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) take “swift action” over this unprovoked terrorist act.
“We condemn this unprovoked attack on the UAE and there should be a proper solution to growing aggression [by Houthis],” Haq told Arab News.
“The UNSC and the Arab League should immediately take up this matter to find a solution to this problem which is becoming a danger for the whole region.”
Former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senator Sehar Kamran said the “cowardly” attack was a conspiracy to derail peace in the Middle East and the extended region.
“We condemn this cowardly attack which is an act of terrorism resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” she told Arab News.
“This attack is a conspiracy to derail peace and harmony in the region at a time when relations between the Middle Eastern countries are getting better,” she said, urging the OIC to take strong action against the Yemeni militia.
Kamran warned if the world did not stop Houthis, then such attacks would not just remain limited to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “They can spread and will affect peace and stability in the whole region and the world,” she said.




In this satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC, an Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot in the Mussafah neighborhood of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is seen Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, before being targeted in an attack days later. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Kamran warned if the world did not stop Houthis, then such attacks would not just remain limited to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “They can spread and will affect peace and stability in the whole region and the world,” she said.   

The UAE has vowed reprisals after the attack on the oil facility.   

“We condemn the Houthi terrorist militia’s targeting of civilian areas and facilities on UAE soil today... this sinful targeting will not go unpunished,” UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said in a statement, as his ministry described the attack as a “heinous criminal escalation.”  

The incident follows a surge in fighting in Yemen, including advances by UAE-trained troops. The rebels also seized a UAE-flagged ship and its international crew earlier this month.


Indian Ocean should not be ‘rivalry playground,’ Pakistan says at Aman-25 naval exercise

Updated 10 February 2025
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Indian Ocean should not be ‘rivalry playground,’ Pakistan says at Aman-25 naval exercise

  • The Indian Ocean, which represents crossroads of global oil markets, has been the site of geopolitical competition between major powers
  • Pakistan Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal says Islamabad prefers collaboration over confrontation and trade over tensions in the Indian Ocean

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday that the India Ocean should not be made a “rivalry playground” and it should rather serve as a “center of opportunities” for all nations as he addressed the concluding session of the AMAN Dialogue at the AMAN-2025 naval exercise in Karachi.
The Indian Ocean, which represents the crossroads of global oil markets, has been the site of geopolitical competition between major powers, including India, China and the United States, which involve economic, military, and political factors.
The US has expanded defense ties with India in recent years and frequently conducted Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) in the Indian Ocean, especially in areas around India, as part of its strategic partnership with the country, in a bid to counter China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the region.
China, which commands the world’s largest naval force with more than 370 ships, has developed ports and bases across the Indian Ocean, including in Gwadar in Pakistan, Sri Lanka’s Hambantota, and Djibouti in Africa, to promote its trade interests.
“Pakistan prefers collaboration over confrontation and trade over tensions,” Iqbal said at the concluding session of the AMAN Dialogue. “Indian Ocean should not be the center of tensions and strategic contention, rather it should be a center of opportunities and shared progress.”
The dialogue, hosted by Pakistan on Feb. 9-10 as part of AMAN-2025 naval exercise, focused on security challenges in the Indian Ocean, including strategic competition, piracy, narco-trafficking, non-state actors, resource exploitation, climate change, emerging technologies such as AI and unmanned systems, the blue economy and the need for global collaboration to ensure stability and prosperity.
It brought together chiefs of navies, coast guards and defense forces from several nations, with an aim to provide them an opportunity to exchange views on global and regional security and adopt innovative solutions.
Iqbal called the AMAN Dialogue an example of mutual trust and shared prosperity, which signified Pakistan’s commitment toward peaceful maritime sector. He hoped that relations forged at the forum would turn into longstanding partnerships for the betterment of global maritime sector and yield results in shared progress.
Pakistan Navy has conducted the AMAN maritime exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme “Together for Peace,” involving ships, aircraft and special operations forces. Naval troops and special forces from more than 60 countries have been taking part in this year’s exercise, being held on Feb. 7-11.


Saudi Arabia remains top contributor as Pakistan remittances increase 25.2% year-on-year

Updated 10 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia remains top contributor as Pakistan remittances increase 25.2% year-on-year

  • Kingdom contributed $728.3 million to total inflows of $3 billion to the South Asian nation last month
  • Remittances are vital to Pakistan, which has seen its foreign exchange reserves plummet to low levels

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia remained the largest source of workers’ remittances to Pakistan that rose by 25.2% in January, Pakistan’s central bank said on Monday, with Riyadh contributing $728.3 million in inflows to the South Asian nation.
The Kingdom is a key destination for Pakistani workers, whose remittances are vital to Pakistan’s economy amid an ongoing economic crisis that has seen its foreign exchange reserves plummet to low levels and its currency weaken against the US dollar, forcing it to seek financial assistance from global lenders and friendly countries.
Workers’ remittances recorded an inflow of $3 billion in the month of January, according to the Pakistani central bank.
“Remittances inflows during January 2025 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($728.3 million), United Arab Emirates ($621.7 million), United Kingdom ($443.6 million) and United States of America ($298.5 million),” the State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement.
Cumulatively, the SBP said, workers’ remittances recorded an inflow of $20.8 billion from July 2024 till January 2025, compared to $15.8 billion during the same period in the previous year, depicting a growth of 31.7%.
In December 2024, Pakistan’s remittances clocked in at $3.1 billion, marking a 29.3% year-on-year growth.
The South Asian country, which secured a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) facility last September, is navigating a tricky path to economic recovery and this surge in remittances is considered vital to stabilizing the country’s foreign exchange reserves.


Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise ongoing in Karachi with counter-terrorism drills

Updated 10 February 2025
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Pakistan’s AMAN-25 naval exercise ongoing in Karachi with counter-terrorism drills

  • Pakistan Navy has conducted the AMAN maritime exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme ‘Together For Peace’
  • Naval and special forces from over 100 nations have been taking part in the exercise, involving several operations at sea

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-hosted AMAN-25 multinational naval exercise, kicked off in Karachi on Friday, is ongoing in full swing, with participating naval forces performing counterterrorism drills at sea to ensure maritime security.
Pakistan Navy has conducted the AMAN maritime exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme “Together For Peace,” involving ships, aircraft and special operations forces.
Naval troops and special forces from more than 60 countries have been taking part in the exercise that involves several counterterrorism drills at sea, according to Pakistan Navy officials.
“Today, [Feb. 9], it was the demonstration of maritime counter-terrorism [drills] which means that we conduct multiple operations out at sea which include the VBSS [visit, board, search, and seizure] operations, and the combat search and rescue operations and exfiltration and infiltration, including the amphibious operations,” Pakistan Navy’s Lt. Commander Nauman Majeeb told Reuters on Sunday.
“So, actually, today was the day where we demonstrated all these activities collectively in one, complete show.”
This year’s exercise, being held on Feb. 7-11, features the inaugural AMAN Dialogue, themed “Secure Seas, Prosperous Future,” with a focus on security challenges in the Indian Ocean, including strategic competition, piracy, narco-trafficking, non-state actors, emerging technologies such as AI and unmanned systems, and the need for global collaboration in maritime domain. 
“The global economic system is almost wholly dependent upon unhindered activity in the maritime domain,” Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said at an event to mark the opening of the dialogue. “The uninterrupted use of seas and oceans remain the strategic interests of all nations.” 
Asif urged participating nations to synergize their efforts to extract greater economic gains, saying that the maritime domain is at a “critical crossroads.”
“Our oceans carrying over 80 percent of global trade represent not only shipping lanes but the arteries of global prosperity,” the minister said, noting that the Indian Ocean alone holds over 50 percent of global oil and gas reserves.


Pakistan slams Netanyahu for comments on establishing Palestinian state on Saudi soil

Updated 10 February 2025
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Pakistan slams Netanyahu for comments on establishing Palestinian state on Saudi soil

  • The remarks about the establishment of a Palestinian state on the Saudi territory have provoked widespread backlash
  • Pakistan deputy PM terms Netanyahu’s remarks ‘irresponsible and provocative,’ reaffirms support to Palestinian cause

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday voiced its “unwavering” support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and condemned “irresponsible and provocative remarks” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about establishing a Palestinian state in the Kingdom.
The statement by the Pakistani foreign ministry came after a conversation between Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Israeli officials have proposed establishing a Palestinian state on the Saudi territory after the Israeli PM seemingly joked about the idea during an interview on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, according to Reuters.
Netanyahu’s comments come amid a six-week truce announced last month between Hamas and Israel that ended 15 months of war, involving the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
“Strongly condemning Israeli Prime Minister’s irresponsible and provocative remarks, the DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as unflinching support to the Palestinian cause,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan has strong economic, defense and cultural ties with the Kingdom, while Islamabad does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The remarks by the Israeli PM followed a suggestion last month by US President Donald Trump that Palestinians in Gaza should be resettled in Egypt, Jordan, or other countries — a proposal rejected by Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, and other nations apart from being condemned by international rights groups.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Sunday responded sharply to Netanyahu’s remarks, saying that it rejected “such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza.”
During their conversation, the Saudi foreign minister thanked DPM Dar for Pakistan’s “consistent and time-tested support” to the sanctity and inviolability of the Kingdom, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“The two leaders agreed to urgently convene an Extraordinary OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) meeting of Foreign Ministers to discuss the developments relating to Gaza,” it added.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people, including children and women, according to the Palestinian health ministry, with at least more than 100,000 others wounded. The war began after Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel.


Islamabad says IMF team in Pakistan for governance review, not judicial oversight

Updated 10 February 2025
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Islamabad says IMF team in Pakistan for governance review, not judicial oversight

  • Finance adviser says IMF mission is evaluating corruption vulnerabilities across six core state functions
  • IMF team will engage with law ministry, finance division, financial institutions, and election commission

ISLAMABAD: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team is currently visiting Pakistan to conduct a Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA), a finance ministry official said on Monday, adding the visit has nothing to do with the country’s judicial system or a review of Pakistan’s ongoing $7 billion IMF program.
The statement came a day after the finance ministry said the three-member IMF mission would conduct the governance and corruption assessment to recommend reforms for transparency, institutional strengthening and sustainable growth in the South Asian country.
Pakistan, currently bolstered by the $7 billion IMF facility that was granted in September, is navigating an economic recovery path. IMF bailouts are critical for Pakistan, which narrowly avoided a sovereign default in June 2023 by clinching a last-gasp, $3 billion IMF loan.
The global lender is set to review Pakistan’s progress on the current $7 billion program by March, with the government and central bank expressing confidence about meeting the targets.
“All rumors suggesting that the IMF team is here to evaluate the judicial process or other related matters are baseless and nothing of that sort is happening during this visit,” Khurram Shehzad, an adviser to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, told Arab News.
“The purpose of the IMF team’s visit is to assess the governance structure, which falls under the global lender’s mandate for countries under its program.”
Arab News approached the IMF mission currently visiting Pakistan but did not get a reply by the filing of this story.
Shehzad refuted reports suggesting that the IMF team would meet members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan next week to discuss the process of judges’ appointment.
The reports emerged amid calls from lawyer bodies and opposition to repeal the 26th constitutional amendment, which empowered parliament to pick the country’s top judge and introduced fundamental changes in the appointment of judges in the superior judiciary.
Shehzad said the IMF team’s visit was not sudden, it was rather planned in July 2024 as part of Pakistan’s previous $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).
“This visit is unrelated to the six-month review of the current IMF program, which will be conducted by a separate team,” he said. “That team has not yet arrived in Pakistan and is expected [to arrive] by the end of February or the first week of March.”
He said this was not a new development neither exclusive to Pakistan as similar assessments had been conducted in many other countries.
“They are in Pakistan to conduct a Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA), focusing on evaluating corruption vulnerabilities across six core state functions, including fiscal governance, central bank governance and operations, financial sector oversight, market regulation, rule of law, and Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT),” the finance adviser said.
The IMF has been offering guidance and technical support for a long time, which has contributed to improved governance by enhancing public sector transparency and accountability, according to the official.
“They followed a process in which they assess a country’s governance structure by meeting regulators and institutions to explore ways to improve it in line with global best practices,” he shared.
Following the analysis, Shehzad said, the IMF team will provide GCDAs with recommendations to systematically address the vulnerabilities.
“They will provide a comprehensive overview of the governance structure, highlighting areas for improvement and suggesting methods to bring that improvement and the report on the IMF team’s assessment will be published by the government in July this year,” he added.
The IMF mission will mainly engage with the Finance Division, Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan, Auditor General of Pakistan, Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Election Commission of Pakistan, and Ministry of Law & Justice, according to Pakistan’s finance ministry.
Traditionally, the IMF’s main focus has been to encourage countries to correct macroeconomic imbalances, reduce inflation, and undertake key trade, exchange and other market reforms needed to improve efficiency and support sustained economic growth.
“While these remain its main focus in all its member countries, however, the IMF has found that a much broader range of institutional reforms is needed if countries are to establish and maintain private sector confidence and thereby lay the basis for sustained growth,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the IMF identified that promoting good governance in all its aspects, including ensuring the rule of law, improving the efficiency and accountability of the public sector and tackling corruption, are essential elements of a framework within which economies can prosper.
In 1997, the IMF adopted a policy on how to address economic governance, embodied in the Guidance Note “The Role of the IMF in Governance Issues.” To further strengthen the implementation of this policy, the IMF adopted in 2018 a new Framework for Enhanced Engagement on Governance (Governance Policy) that aims to promote more systematic, effective, candid, and evenhanded engagement with member countries regarding governance vulnerabilities, including corruption, that are critical to macroeconomic performance, according to the finance ministry.
Under this policy and framework, the IMF offers to undertake GCDA with member countries to analyze and recommend actions for addressing corruption vulnerabilities and strengthening integrity and governance in IMF member countries. Since 2018, 20 GCDA reports have been finalized, including those for Sri Lanka, Mauritania, Cameroon, Zambia, and Benin and ten diagnostics are ongoing, with several more under IMF consideration.