Pakistan will take all necessary steps to defend Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah, military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said, describing Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security as unconditional.
The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations made the remarks in an interview with Arab News, excerpts of which were shared on the publication’s social media account on Friday.
His comments come amid escalating fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis. The group has advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, while Riyadh has intensified airstrikes against Houthi positions.
Earlier this week, the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of directing a drone towards Makkah, prompting condemnation across the Muslim world. The Houthis rejected the allegation, calling the Saudi account false.
Pakistan Reaffirms Defence Commitment
Lieutenant General Chaudhry said Pakistan stood firmly with Saudi Arabia at both diplomatic and military levels, placing particular emphasis on its readiness to provide physical support.
He said Pakistan would go to any extent required by the Saudi leadership to protect the kingdom and the Haramain Sharifain.
The military spokesperson stressed that the people of Pakistan stood alongside the people of Saudi Arabia and that Islamabad would continue to defend the kingdom against aggression.
He described the security relationship as rooted in longstanding ties between the two countries’ populations and their political and military leaderships.
According to Chaudhry, Pakistan’s commitment is not conditional on any particular development or circumstance. He said Islamabad remained prepared to respond to Saudi Arabia’s security requirements.
He also confirmed that Pakistan’s political and military leadership was maintaining continuous communication with Saudi authorities as the regional crisis developed.
Islamabad Continues Diplomatic Efforts
Alongside its defence commitments, Pakistan is working with regional governments and other international partners to secure a negotiated settlement to the wider conflict, the military spokesperson said.
He was also asked about Wednesday’s telephone conversation between Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Chaudhry said Pakistan’s leadership remained in close contact with Saudi Arabia on all matters concerning the regional situation.
He described the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, reached in June, as a document reflecting an agreed basis for resolving the conflict through negotiations.
Asked whether Pakistan expected Washington and Tehran to return to talks soon, he did not provide a timetable. He said Islamabad continued trying to identify common ground despite mistrust and opposition to diplomatic efforts.
Defence Agreements With Saudi Arabia and Türkiye
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in Riyadh last September. Under the agreement, an attack against either country is to be treated as aggression against both.
The two countries subsequently joined Türkiye in signing the Makkah Defence Alliance last month. The arrangement provides that an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all members.
The alliance held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, where Pakistan was designated to lead its secretariat for an initial three-year period.
In an earlier interview with Al Arabiya English, Lieutenant General Chaudhry said the alliance was intended to provide collective deterrence rather than pursue regional ambitions or offensive military objectives.
He described the arrangement as defensive in nature.
Foreign Office Calls for Dialogue Over Coercion
Pakistan’s Foreign Office also reaffirmed its security commitments to Saudi Arabia on Thursday while emphasising the need for a diplomatic response to the Houthi conflict.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said the Houthis should cease activities threatening regional stability, but maintained that the wider crisis should be addressed through dialogue rather than coercive measures.
He said Pakistan remained committed to implementing its agreements with Saudi Arabia in both intent and spirit.
However, the spokesperson declined to explain how Islamabad might respond operationally under those arrangements, saying such decisions involved confidential security matters.
Pakistan’s stated position therefore combines its defence commitments to Saudi Arabia with continued diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions and bring the parties back to negotiations.
