ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that six Pakistani sailors injured in an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea earlier this month have returned to Pakistan.
The Aug 11 attack had targeted a Tanzania-flagged vessel, Tihamah, causing deaths and injuries among its crew. At the time, Dar had said that 3 nationals were killed and that reports had been received of one other being injured.
In a post on X on Thursday, DPM Dar said, “The six Pakistani sailors injured in the recent Houthi attack on a Tanzanian-flagged commercial vessel have safely returned to Pakistan, while the mortal remains of the two Pakistani sailors who tragically lost their lives have also been repatriated.”
He appreciated the role of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah and the embassy in Riyadh for facilitating the return and repatriation from Yemen in the absence of a diplomatic mission in the country.
He also lauded the efforts of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in facilitating the arrival and cooperation of the Saudi Foreign Ministry regarding “medical assistance and arrangements provided in Jeddah”.
Dar reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of the attack and stated that the “safety and security of seafarers must be ensured at all times”.
“We remain committed to extending all possible assistance to the injured sailors and the bereaved families,” he said.
On August 11, three ships came under attack in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Yemen’s coastguard said the initial strike on the Tihamah caused a fire and extensive damage to the vessel. A second strike targeted the vessel as rescue workers carried out a mission to evacuate the ship.
A Houthi-linked media outlet later reported that the group’s armed forces had also targeted a ship in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that it said was carrying Saudi military equipment.
These were among a series of deadly attacks against ships in and around the entrance to the Red Sea since the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia last month.
In July, Pakistan had condemned the Houthis’ threats to Saudi Arabia and to trading with the kingdom via the Red Sea, warning that it had the right to self-defence if its “maritime interests” were targeted in “any hostile act”.
It had later doubled down on its warning, describing any attack on its maritime interests as a “red line” and declaring that such a strike would be treated as an attack on the country.
After the attack, Pakistan also said it was ready to play its part in a newly established Saudi-led maritime coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb.
