FM Qureshi calls for end to Houthi drone strikes

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday called for an end to Houthi drone attacks, saying they posed a threat to peace and security.

Talking to his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, FM Qureshi condemned the “heinous terrorist attack on civilian areas” of Abu Dhabi, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Al-Nahyan had called to share details of the incident and condole the death of a Pakistani citizen in the attack.

Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired missiles and drones against targets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, including Abu Dhabi Airport and a refinery in Musaffah. Three people, two Indians and a Pakistani, were killed and six others wounded when fuel tanker trucks exploded near storage facilities of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Condemns attack in Abu Dhabi

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen hit back with airstrikes on the Yemeni capital after the Houthis claimed responsibility for the drone attacks.

Houthi drones had in the past mostly targeted Saudi Arabia. It was, therefore, one of the biggest strike against the UAE since the Yemen war started in 2014.

Mr Qureshi said the Houthi attacks violated the UAE’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “He [the foreign minister] called for immediate cessation of such attacks, which continue to pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and security,” the FO statement read.

Mr Qureshi thanked the UAE government for its support in repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased Pakistani and treatment for the injured.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2022

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