Govt Dismisses Fake Notification Claiming Temporary Suspension of Port Entries

The government on Thursday rejected as false a notification circulating on social media that claimed all port entries in Pakistan had been temporarily suspended due to the security situation until March 10.

In a statement shared on its official account on X, the fact-checking team of the information ministry said the notice was fabricated and had not been issued by any relevant authority.

Officials clarified that neither the Cabinet Division nor the Ministry of Maritime Affairs had released such a notification.

The fact-checking team stated that the viral document circulating online was fake.

The clarification comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Iran recently announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, raising global concerns over energy supplies.

The Strait of Hormuz is widely considered the world’s most critical oil shipping route, connecting major Gulf oil producers — including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates — with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Around one-fifth of the world’s daily oil supply passes through the narrow waterway, which measures roughly 33 kilometres at its narrowest point.

Meanwhile, a day earlier, Pakistan requested an alternative oil supply route through Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to a statement issued by the Petroleum Division, the request was made by Ali Pervaiz Malik during a meeting with the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki.