ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT): Pakistan’s leader has expressed his “unwavering solidarity” with Saudi Arabia, after Houthi drone and missile attacks on civilian and energy facilities in the Kingdom left 73 people injured.
At the same time, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that a three-nation defense pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye could become operational in the event of aggression against the Kingdom.
The comments are yet another indication that Islamabad considers the attacks by the Iran-backed Yemeni group capable of triggering obligations under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed by the three countries last month and stipulating that an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all.
In an interview with broadcaster Geo News on Tuesday, Asif warned the Houthis not to exploit the broader US-Iran confrontation to draw Saudi Arabia into the conflict, saying that it would be doing so “at its own peril.”
“Unprovoked aggression or spillover of whatever is happening in Yemen into Saudi Arabia will definitely make this agreement operational,” he said.
“No one should have any doubt in this. We are bound by the terms and conditions of this pact. God willing, we will honor them in case there is a need.”
The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, launched drones and missiles at Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran on Tuesday, striking energy facilities and injuring civilians, many of them women and children.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks, saying that they violated Saudi sovereignty and that the Kingdom had the right under international law to take necessary measures to defend itself.
“Pakistan stands in unwavering solidarity with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia,” he said on X.
“Such dastardly attacks threaten innocent lives as well as regional peace and security. We reaffirm our steadfast support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and pray for the swift recovery of all those injured.”
Pakistan’s foreign office said on Tuesday that Islamabad condemned “the reprehensible attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against civilian and economic targets in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
“Consistent with the UN Charter and international law, Pakistan fully supports the Kingdom’s legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend its territory, protect its citizens and residents and safeguard its national assets against any threat.”
Speaking to Arab News on Wednesday, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan reiterated those comments and Sharif’s tweet.
