Karachi: Pakistan's navy has launched an operation to "counter multidimensional threats" to its national shipping and maritime trade, with concerns about fuel supplies due to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The military said late on Monday that navy ships were escorting merchant vessels "to ensure the uninterrupted flow of national energy supplies and the security of sea lines of communication".
Pakistan, which shares a border with Iran in the southwest, depends on oil and gas from the Gulf and last Friday hiked prices at the pump by about 20 percent, triggering long lines at petrol stations across the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday evening unveiled a raft of austerity measures to save fuel, including shutting government offices for one day a week and ordering 50 percent of staff to work from home.
Schools were also told to close for two weeks.
The military said it was vital that sea routes remained safe, secure and uninterrupted because 90 percent of Pakistan's trade is moved by sea.
The navy was fully "prepared to respond to emerging maritime security challenges", it added, without elaborating.
