Pakistan Pledges Military Support to Saudi Arabia Under Trilateral Defence Pact

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has stated that Pakistan is obligated under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement to defend Saudi Arabia using all available means. The trilateral pact, signed in August by Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, comes as Iran-backed Houthi forces intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and expand control along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including seizing the port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, addressing reporters in Rome, stated that the country's armed forces would be placed at Saudi Arabia's disposal under a trilateral security agreement involving Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, adding that while he would not elaborate on specifics, the arrangement obligated Pakistan to defend Saudi Arabia using whatever resources were at its command. He described the remark as an absolute declaration. No confirmation was provided by Asif regarding whether military personnel had been involved in any strikes. No indication was given as to whether Saudi Arabia had requested military assistance. The remarks followed a trilateral meeting between the military chiefs of Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, where discussions centred on how to respond to operations carried out by Houthi forces. According to Asif, Houthi forces intensified their missile and drone operations against Saudi Arabia while extending their territorial reach along Yemen's Red Sea coastline. Houthi forces have taken control of the port city of Mokha and a number of Red Sea islands, expanding their presence toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway that handles approximately 12 per cent of worldwide maritime trade. The group, together with affiliated armed factions in Iraq, has also targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and worked to restrict Saudi tanker passage through the strait. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey formalised the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, establishing a mutual defence clause under which any armed attack against one signatory would be considered an act of aggression against all three. Both nations characterised the agreement as purely defensive in nature, asserting that it targets no specific country. Asif observed that existing security frameworks had struggled to safeguard Gulf nations as hostilities expanded throughout the region, adding that once armed conflict begins, its trajectory becomes difficult to predict or contain. He stated that directing the course of that conflict lay beyond anyone's reach. Earlier this year, Pakistan took on a diplomatic role in the tensions between the United States and Iran, facilitating direct discussions between the two nations. Negotiations between the two nations produced a provisional agreement in June, with both sides pledging to finalise a deal within 60 days, though that window elapsed once hostilities broke out again.

Pakistan Pledges Military Support to Saudi Arabia Under Trilateral Defence Pact

Related Posts

Pakistan Pledges Military Support to Saudi Arabia Under Trilateral Defence Pact

Related Posts