Amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan has said "more time is needed" to implement the Makkah defence pact, an agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye aimed at providing collective defence in the event of aggression against any member. Addressing a weekly press briefing on Thursday, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that Pakistani forces were currently present in Saudi Arabia for training and logistical purposes, while further aspects of defence cooperation would emerge soon. The FO's statement came in response to a question on how Pakistan plans to fulfil its obligations under the accord after Saudi Arabia was attacked by the Houthis.
The Makkah trilateral agreement - signed between Islamabad, Riyadh, and Ankara on August 7 - provides for collective security and defence cooperation among the three states. The defence agreement signed last month stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them. The pact was signed amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the conflict that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran and targeted its senior leadership.
The FO spokesperson, at the weekly press briefing, strongly condemned the Houthi attacks on civilian and economic sites in Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed unwavering support for the kingdom's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and prosperity. His statement came a day after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the Houthis attacked the southern Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, and Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones, marking the second consecutive day of Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
More than 70 people were injured on Tuesday after Houthis launched an attack on several cities in Saudi Arabia, further undermining stability in the Middle East. Earlier this week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Houthi attacks on Saudi territory would invoke the Makkah Defence Alliance, a tripartite defence agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye. "Under the trilateral agreement, any aggression against any of the three countries is regarded as an aggression against all. There is no ambiguity about that," he said. Speaking during a television show, the defence minister added that unprovoked aggression or the spillover from Yemen into Saudi Arabia would definitely operationalise the Makkah Defence Alliance, and Pakistan remains bound by the terms and conditions of this pact.
However, Asif said that Islamabad hoped the situation would be brought under control and eventually subside. The Foreign Office spokesperson also condemned the "systematic" and "state-sanctioned" demolition of Muslim places of worship in India. Responding to a question, the spokesperson said Pakistan expresses deep concern over the systematic state-sanctioned demolition of Islamic holy places in India under different pretexts. He said the demolitions were in violation of the Liaquat-Nehru Pact signed in 1950, which guarantees the security and rights of religious minorities. The spokesperson also noted that the demolitions violated Indian laws, particularly the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which requires the religious character of places of worship to be maintained as it existed on August 15, 1947.