Dar calls Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia 'totally unacceptable' as Pakistan and Oman agree visa waiver for officials

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia "totally unacceptable", saying at a joint press conference with Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Islamabad on Wednesday, 14 October, that "attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are totally unacceptable", Dawn reported. Dar said Albusaidi fully endorsed the position.

The two ministers were speaking after the 8th session of the Pakistan-Oman Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC). Albusaidi arrived on Tuesday for a two-day visit.

Pakistan's position on the Gulf

Dar reaffirmed Pakistan's solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its commitment to the kingdom's sovereignty and security, citing the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. He said dialogue and diplomacy were "the only way forward" and that Pakistan would keep working for peace in the region. Albusaidi praised Pakistan's mediation between the US and Iran, which Dar said had delayed the Omani minister's trip.

Dar also said the regional tension had disrupted energy supply chains and pushed up fuel prices in Pakistan. Today's pump price is on our petrol price page.

What was agreed

• A protocol on the JMC.
• A mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports. Ordinary passport holders are not covered.
• Several other bilateral agreements, signed after the press conference.
• A business-to-business investment forum to be held in Pakistan.

Albusaidi named trade, logistics, ports, energy and food security as the main areas for growth, and said Oman was committed to free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Dar said he would visit Oman in 2027 for the next JMC session.

Trade with the Gulf

Dar said a Pakistan-GCC free trade agreement would expand business and that he had been told all GCC members but one had agreed to it. For workers and families who send or receive money from the Gulf, today's UAE dirham and Saudi riyal rates against the rupee are updated daily.

Other issues

The ministers called for unhindered aid deliveries to Gaza. Dar said India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty was a material breach of international law that threatened water, food and energy security for Pakistan's 250 million people. In a restricted session they also discussed the US-Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab and Kashmir. Pakistan and Oman have had diplomatic relations for 55 years.