Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has stressed the importance of uninterrupted energy supplies and the safe, expeditious movement of ships during a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
According to the Foreign Office, the two senior diplomats discussed regional developments and agreed to maintain close cooperation between Pakistan and Iran.
Dar stresses energy security and safe shipping
During the conversation, Dar highlighted the need to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies, particularly given their importance for developing countries and global supply chains.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring the safe and expeditious passage of ships amid growing concerns over disruptions to major maritime routes in the region.
The Foreign Office said Dar and Araghchi agreed to meet in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Dar also underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remained the only viable means of ensuring peace and stability in the region.
Pakistan raises concerns over attacks on merchant ships
The conversation came hours after Pakistan called on Yemen’s Houthi group to immediately halt attacks on merchant vessels and seafarers in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council Arria-Formula meeting, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, stressed the need to protect freedom of navigation and ensure the safety of commercial shipping.
He said attacks on merchant vessels in Bab al-Mandab and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz had demonstrated that maritime crises could have far-reaching consequences for global peace, stability, energy security and food security.
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Pakistan strongly condemned what Ambassador Ahmad described as attempts by the Houthis to weaponise Bab al-Mandab by attacking commercial shipping and seafarers.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying that attacks attributed to the Houthis undermined maritime security and threatened peace and development in countries across the region.
Islamabad calls for diplomatic solutions
Ambassador Ahmad warned that continued attacks and other provocative actions could have serious consequences for maritime security and regional peace and stability.
Regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, he said Pakistan remained deeply concerned about disruptions and attacks affecting commercial shipping.
Dar’s conversation with Araghchi and Pakistan’s statements at the UN reflect Islamabad’s emphasis on dialogue, diplomacy, freedom of navigation and uninterrupted energy supplies amid continuing regional tensions.
