ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday condemned a drone strike on the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah Nuclear Power Plant and warned that growing attacks on nuclear facilities during regional conflicts posed serious legal, environmental and security risks.
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council briefing on “The Situation in the Middle East,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad stood in “complete solidarity” with the UAE following the attack, while also condemning recent drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia.
The remarks came after the UAE said Sunday afternoon that a drone strike caused a fire to break out in an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power station. UAE authorities said no injuries were reported and radiation levels remained normal.
The UAE said on Tuesday that six drones had been launched against it from Iraq in the past 48 hours, including one that caused the fire at the nuclear facility. The UAE defense ministry said it intercepted all but one of the drones and that three had been targeting the Barakah plant.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the drone attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates on 17 May,” Ahmad told the Security Council.
“Any and all targeting of nuclear facilities constitutes a grave violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter, and the fundamental principles of nuclear safety and security enshrined in the Statute and various resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” he added.
Ahmad noted Pakistan had consistently maintained that nuclear installations must never be targeted under any circumstances, stressing that the protection of civilian nuclear infrastructure was a well-established international norm that must be upheld without exception.
“Increasing incidents of attacks against nuclear facilities demand serious introspection and action to address the legal, safety and security implications of such attacks,” he said.
The Pakistani envoy warned that attacks on nuclear facilities could have “catastrophic and irreversible consequences” for human life, the environment and regional as well as global peace and security.
While hostilities during the United States-Iran conflict have largely subsided since a ceasefire took effect on April 8, drones have continued to be launched against Gulf countries.
The Pakistani envoy also condemned “in the strongest possible terms” recent drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, describing them as violations of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said the latest attacks underscored the urgent need to reduce tensions in the region and called on all parties to exercise restraint and adhere to international law.
He also maintained his country would continue efforts to facilitate diplomatic engagement between the concerned parties, adding that “there is no alternative to diplomacy and dialogue for peaceful resolution of disputes.”
