PM expresses solidarity with UAE after drone attack

Imran speaks with Abu Dhabi crown prince, offers condolences on loss of lives

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan telephoned Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed and “strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack by Houthi militia on civil facilities” in Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

The prime minister offered condolences to the families of victims of the attack, including a Pakistani national, and prayed for early recovery of those injured. He also expressed solidarity with the UAE leadership and its people.

On Monday, the Abu Dhabi police said that three people were killed and six wounded when three fuel tanker trucks exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNOC. The state media said those killed were two Indians and a Pakistani.

Prime Minister Imran “strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack by Houthi militia on civil facilities”, the statement said. “The prime minister expressed solidarity with the leadership, government, and people of the United Arab Emirates,” it added.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office statement, Imran underlined that such attacks could not be justified. He stressed the need for immediate cessation of these attacks, which continued to pose a grave threat to regional peace and security.

The crown prince thanked the prime minister for the “strong expression of support, and also offered condolence on the sad demise of a Pakistani national, who died in the tragic incident,” the statement added.

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Later in the day, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Foreign Ministry and condoled the death of a Pakistani citizen in a drone strikes by Houthi militia in the urban areas of Abu Dhabi on January 17.

He also thanked Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi for expressing solidarity with the UAE leadership. Qureshi strongly condemned the terrorist attack and expressed deep sorrow and regret over the loss of life as a result of this terrorism.

Qureshi mentioned that Prime Minister Imran had spoken by telephone with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and strongly condemned the drone strikes. “We express our solidarity with the government and people of UAE and call these terrorist attacks an attack on the sovereignty and integrity of UAE,” he said.