PM Shehbaz condemns Houthi attacks, vows efforts to defuse regional tensions in call with MBS | The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure and vowed to continue efforts to defuse regional tensions and promote peace during a telephone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz and Saudi Crown Prince MBS held a telephonic conversation this afternoon.

“During their warm and most cordial conversation, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the recent attacks by Houthis on Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure,” it said.

The telephone conversation came amid rising tensions in the Middle East, as a day earlier Saudi Arabia had shut down its East-West Pipeline after the vital oil conduit came under aerial attack amid the widening regional conflict.

Read More: Pakistan condemns attacks on Saudi oil pipeline

The recent waves of escalation started after Houthis attacked the southern Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring 73 people. In response, Saudi-led coalition aircraft carried out several airstrikes on Yemen’s western Al-Hudaydah province.

The statement by the PMO said that PM Shehbaz expressed “complete solidarity” with the Saudi leadership as well as the “brotherly people of Saudi Arabia” and stated that the recent Houthi actions threatened regional peace and security and could further disrupt the global economy and energy supplies.

“The prime minister added that he, along with the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, will continue their efforts to defuse tensions and bring peace to the region,” it added.

PMO further said that the premier lauded the Saudi crown prince for his “wise and sagacious leadership” throughout the crisis.

The statement said that the prime minister also “availed himself of this occasion to convey his warm wishes and respectful regards for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud”.

According to the PMO, MBS appreciated Pakistan for its steadfast support to Saudi Arabia as well as its efforts for peace and stability in the region.

It added that the two leaders agreed to continue to remain in close contact and looked forward to meeting each other at an early date.

Later, PM Shehbaz said in a statement on X that he was pleased to speak with Crown Prince MBS that afternoon.

“I reiterated Pakistan’s strongest condemnation of the recent Houthi attacks targeting civilian and economic infrastructure in the Kingdom, and conveyed our complete solidarity with the Saudi leadership and our Saudi brothers and sisters. Such reckless actions threaten regional peace and stability, with serious consequences for the global economy and energy security,” he said.

The premier also appreciated MBS’s “wise and sagacious leadership” during these challenging times and vowed that CDF Munir, DPM Dar and he would continue efforts to help defuse tensions and advance peace and stability in the region.

The latest attacks were not the first time the Houthis had targeted Saudi Arabia’s energy interests. On 23 July, the group said it had struck two Saudi oil tankers in what it described as part of a naval blockade against the kingdom.

The Houthis control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s key shipping routes linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, giving the group the ability to threaten vital maritime traffic.

Makkah Defence Pact

The recent Houthi attacks came at a time when Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye had just formalised their longstanding strategic ties through the signing of the “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement”, a trilateral security framework that its proponents describe as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, enhancing military cooperation and promoting regional stability.

The agreement, signed during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, has prompted comparisons with military alliances such as NATO. However, according to security analysts, the pact is intended to formalise decades of existing strategic cooperation rather than create a new military bloc or offensive alliance.

Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West oil pipeline

The Saudi Energy Ministry said on Friday that the pipeline had been targeted on Thursday morning by several drones in the Riyadh and Medina regions, prompting authorities to halt its operation as a precaution.

An official ministry source, cited by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said emergency and technical teams had begun securing the pipeline and checking its safety, adding that any further developments would be announced as they became available.

Read More: Trump says Iran probably responsible for attack on Saudi pipeline

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the attack was carried out using several drones launched from Iraq and resulted in injuries and material damage.

What is the East-West pipeline?

The East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, is one of Saudi Arabia’s most important crude oil transportation systems.

Operated by the state energy company Aramco, it stretches approximately 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from Abqaiq in the kingdom’s Eastern Province to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast.

Also Read: What is Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, and what its ‘precautionary’ shutdown means?

The pipeline lies entirely within Saudi territory and does not cross another country’s borders.

Its strategic function, however, extends beyond domestic transportation. It carries crude from the kingdom’s main production and processing areas in the east to refineries, storage facilities and export terminals on its western coast.

This allows Saudi Arabia to move large quantities of crude to the Red Sea without shipping it through the Strait of Hormuz amid the current military conflict between the US and Iran.