- Islamabad backs Riyadh against all security threats: Asif.
- Says Houthis committing aggression against Kingdom.
- Adds Iran does not accept Houthis as proxy.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia against any threat, declaring that “any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan”.
According to Al Jazeera, Asif condemned Yemen’s Houthi group for carrying out attacks against the Kingdom and said that said Pakistan had no doubt that the Houthis were committing aggression against Saudi Arabia and reiterated that Islamabad would stand by Riyadh against any threat.
“There is absolutely no doubt in our mind that Houthis are committing aggression against Saudi Arabia, and we are there to help Saudi Arabia in any conflict, whether it is coming from Houthis or a country or any other outfit which threatens Saudi Arabia’s security,” the defence minister said.
His remarks came amid heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis following fresh cross-border attacks.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah trilateral agreement on August 7, which provides for collective security and defence cooperation among the three states. The pact — later named the Makkah Defence Alliance — stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them.
The Houthis have carried out repeated missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia since announcing a naval blockade on the Kingdom in July. The group has targeted Saudi-linked vessels operating in the Red Sea as part of its campaign, further escalating tensions in the region.
The Houthis also targeted Saudi airports, energy facilities and other strategic infrastructure, with the Kingdom’s air defence systems intercepting many of the projectiles.
Asif said the understanding between Islamabad and Riyadh meant Islamabad would make all available resources accessible to Saudi Arabia if its security came under threat.
“We’ll be there to defend them. When I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also,” he added.
The defence minister stressed that Pakistan views any threat to Saudi Arabia as a threat to its own security.
“As far as Houthis are concerned, they are enemies of Saudi Arabia. Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan. That should be very clear,” he said.
‘Tehran rejects Houthis as its proxy’
Commenting on Iran’s relationship with the Houthis, the defence minister said Tehran did not acknowledge the group as its proxy, adding that armed groups backed by states could sometimes evolve into independent actors.
“Iranians are not accepting them as their proxy. Some of these proxies, they become rogue. I don’t have to go into history; I can give you multiple examples of that. Some country, A, B, or C, they launch a proxy, and then the proxy has its own way of multiplying and then becoming a rogue sort of entity,” he said.
Earlier this month, Asif said that the situation had reached a point where the Makkah agreement had to be implemented, following an attempted drone attack near the holy city.
“Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty,” Asif said while speaking on Truth Wire programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath‘ on September 16.
He said that Pakistan was bound by the agreement but he could not go into its details.
He said Pakistan did not need an agreement to protect the holy sites, stressing that safeguarding them was a duty even in the absence of the Makkah Agreement.
“If Makkah is attacked, there is no need for an agreement to protect it,” Asif said.
2026-09-30 19:45:00
