Pakistan vows to implement Saudi defence pact, Makkah agreement Amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing its defence agreements with Saudi Arabia as tensions in the Middle East escalate following recent Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, according to Dawn.

Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on September 17 that Pakistan remained committed “in intent and spirit” to implementing the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia and the trilateral Makkah Defence Alliance.

Asked how Pakistan would ensure that recent Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia were thwarted, Khan said Pakistan was committed to “implementing” the SDMA and the Makkah pact.

“However, when, how, where and what force will be used against what objectives, in which modes and matters [..] — operational confidentiality requires us to be discreet at this stage,” he said.

His comments came after renewed tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. A Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said on Wednesday that it had intercepted a drone heading towards the holy city of Makkah. The Houthis rejected the Saudi report as a “lie”.

Asked about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to “de-escalate and defuse” the Houthi issue, Khan said Islamabad had long supported efforts to promote regional peace and stability.

“Pakistan has for a long time [..] shared the perspective that we would like to have peace and stability because this is not only in the interest of Pakistan and Iran, but also the entire region and beyond.”

Khan described the situation around Bab al-Mandeb as “exceptionally serious” and called on the Houthis to “stop their activities”.

“In this regard, our discussions basically revolve around bringing peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy and not through coercive measures,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani website The Siasat Daily reports that, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the country is fully prepared to fulfil its obligations under the Makkah agreement after what Saudi Arabia described as an attempted drone attack near the Muslim holy city.

According to Asif, Pakistan did not need an agreement to protect the holy sites, as safeguarding them was a duty even in the absence of the pact.

Asif made the remarks while speaking to Geo News on September  16, saying the “Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty,” according to a report on the news channel’s website.

The pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three (Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia).

He said there was “absolutely no ambiguity” about its application, while stressing that Pakistan would not publicly discuss details of its defence or military strategy.

On the wider regional security situation, Asif said the trilateral defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was one arrangement that had emerged as countries assessed their security needs.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned what Saudi authorities described as an attempted drone attack near Mecca and reiterated Islamabad’s support for Saudi Arabia.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the dastardly and heinous attempted drone attack against the Holy Site of Makkah Al-Mukarramah.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev