Pakistan Draws Red Line For Houthis: FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi Says Pakistani Flagged Vessels Are Protected Under Right To Self-Defense While PM Shehbaz Calls MBS To Condemn Saudi Tanker Attacks
According to Dawn, Pakistan has issued its sharpest warning yet to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi declaring at his weekly press briefing on July 24, 2026 that any attack on Pakistani flagged or owned commercial ships would be treated as a direct attack on Pakistan and would be met with a swift military response in the exercise of the country’s right to self-defence.
“This is not a thin line; this is a red line. This red line is strictly within the context of our own national security,” Andrabi said, adding that Pakistan’s armed forces were actively monitoring the situation at the Bab el-Mandab chokepoint.
Andrabi confirmed Pakistan remained fully committed to its bilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia, ratified last year, under which any attack on one country constitutes an attack on both.
Hours earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers as a violation of international law and reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to Saudi sovereignty and uninterrupted maritime commerce through the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan is drawing lines in open water. When a country invokes self-defence at a chokepoint, the world watches what comes next.
Check out our previous coverage of the US-Iran war on The Trusted Times.
