Pakistan backs Saudi strikes, reaffirms Gulf defence commitments

Pakistan has endorsed Saudi Arabia's air strikes in Iraq as a legitimate exercise of self-defence, reaffirming that it will honour all defence commitments with its Gulf partners while insisting that those agreements do not undermine Islamabad's role as a mediator in the Iran-US conflict.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and we respect that right," Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during a weekly media briefing, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

His remarks came two days after Saudi Arabia and the United States carried out coordinated strikes on installations belonging to Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Units, accusing elements within the umbrella force of launching attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

Referring to the regional situation, Andrabi made it clear that the developments in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea are worrying.

“The attacks, particularly by non-state actors against Saudi Arabia, are utterly condemnable," he noted.

The comments follow Pakistan's warning issued last week after Yemen's Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade targeting shipping linked to Saudi Arabia.

At the time, Islamabad described attacks on Pakistani maritime interests as a "red line," warning that any hostile action against Pakistani-flagged vessels or commercial shipping would be treated as an attack on Pakistan. It also reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi Arabia's security and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime commerce through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement last year, which became operational earlier this year as Islamabad simultaneously launched a diplomatic initiative aimed at mediating between Iran and the United States.

More recently, Kuwait ratified a separate Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in 2023, while Pakistan also maintains defence cooperation arrangements with Bahrain and Jordan.

Asked whether the agreement with Kuwait imposed obligations similar to those under the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia, Andrabi replied: "Obviously, it is not similar in a sense that one is called the strategic mutual defence, and the other defence cooperation agreement. So, the name is self-explanatory."

He also suggested that Pakistan's defence ties with Bahrain and Jordan could be expanded.

"As regards Jordan and Bahrain, we have robust defence cooperation with these countries. If tomorrow there is a need to formalise it in a new agreement of defence cooperation, you will be informed about it in due course," he said.

Reaffirming Islamabad's commitment to its regional security partnerships, Andrabi added: "We will implement all our defence cooperation agreements, not just with Saudi Arabia, but with all our Gulf partners. We will fulfil all our obligations."

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov