Pakistan asks Security Council to halt Gulf attacks, protect shipping
Envoy Syed Haider Shah condemned Houthi strikes on Saudi civilian sites and warned that disruption at Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab is raising energy costs.
Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Syed Haider Shah, called on the Security Council on Friday to demand an immediate end to military provocations and illegal attacks in the Gulf, the protection of civilians and commercial shipping, and a return to diplomacy.
Shah told the council that the security and prosperity of the Gulf states mattered to Pakistan because of long-standing religious, historical and people-to-people ties. Threats to navigation in the region's main waterways, he said, carried consequences far beyond the Gulf.
He condemned attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council members and expressed solidarity with their governments and peoples, calling for respect for their sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.
He singled out attacks and threats by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian facilities such as airports and energy installations and on vessels engaged in lawful trade. Such actions, he said, endangered regional stability, threatened freedom of navigation and disrupted international commerce.
Minute Mirror reported that Shah described the Strait of Hormuz as a vital trade corridor handling around one-third of globally traded crude oil and a significant share of fertiliser shipments. He raised attacks on merchant vessels and disruption to shipping through Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz, saying they put seafarers at risk.
Shah said instability around major maritime routes had pushed energy prices higher and added to concern about global food insecurity, with vulnerable economies facing the sharpest effects. Pakistan called for the restoration of normal maritime passage, protection of ships and their crews, and the uninterrupted movement of humanitarian supplies.
He said lasting stability required addressing the underlying causes of conflict and building a framework based on shared security, peaceful coexistence, mutual prosperity and development. Countries should keep communication channels open and give sustained support to regional diplomatic initiatives and the UN secretary-general's good offices, he said.
Shah asked the Security Council to unite in demanding an end to military provocations, in protecting civilians and commercial shipping, and in advancing peaceful solutions. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to work with regional countries and international partners on de-escalation, maritime security and lasting peace.
How the reports differ
Minute Mirror alone reported Shah's description of the Strait of Hormuz as a corridor carrying around one-third of globally traded crude oil and a significant share of fertiliser shipments, and said the council met on Friday. UrduPoint named the agenda item as the situation in the Gulf and its implications for international peace and security, and framed the appeal as a call to resume diplomatic efforts. Both reports agreed on the condemnations of GCC states and of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
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