PM Shehbaz condemns drone, missile attacks in UAE

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly condemned missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), expressing complete solidarity with the country’s President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as with the government of the UAE at this difficult time,” PM Shehbaz said in a social media post on X. “It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region,” he said. On Monday, the UAE said it was targeted by Iranian strikes, including one on its vital Fujairah energy hub that wounded three Indians. Fujairah lies beyond the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of few export routes for Middle East oil that does not require passing through it. “These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression,” the UAE’s foreign ministry said, adding that the country reserves the “right to respond”. Iran’s state television network said military officials had confirmed they attacked the UAE in response to the “US military’s adventurism”. The attacks shattered a period of relative calm in the ​UAE since a Pakistani-mediated ceasefire between Washington and Tehran took effect on April 8, pausing more ‌than ⁠a month of intense fighting in the Gulf region. Monday’s strike ⁠was not the first time Fujairah’s energy infrastructure had been in the crosshairs. A drone attack on March 14 had ​previously hit the Port of Fujairah, triggering fires and the ​suspension of ⁠some oil-loading operations. Meanwhile, India on Tuesday condemned the incident, urging uninterrupted access to the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said. “We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians,” India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. “We also call fo