BY SCN NEWS
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan will stand with Saudi Arabia “practically and diplomatically” if the conflict with Yemen’s Houthis escalates, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday, declaring that circumstances contemplated under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement had now emerged while stopping short of publicly detailing what military steps Islamabad could take.
Asif’s remarks followed Saudi Arabia’s announcement that its forces had intercepted a drone south of Makkah before it entered prohibited airspace around Islam’s holiest city. Riyadh attributed the drone to Yemen’s Houthis, while the group rejected the Saudi account and denied targeting Makkah.
Speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, Asif said Pakistan was bound by the trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye and would fulfil the commitments contained in it. Asked about the collective-defence provisions, he said there was “absolutely no ambiguity” about Pakistan’s obligations.
Under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7, an armed attack against one of the three states is to be regarded as an attack against all. The agreement also calls for expanded defence cooperation and collective deterrence among the three countries.
Asif said that if the territorial integrity of one of the member states came under threat, the agreement would become applicable and the other two states would move to protect it in accordance with their obligations. “The situation has arrived,” he said, according to reports of the interview.
His comments marked a stronger formulation than his remarks a week earlier, when he said unprovoked aggression against Saudi Arabia or spillover of the Yemen conflict into the kingdom would “definitely” make the agreement operational. At that stage, Asif also expressed hope that the confrontation would subside before such measures became necessary.
Asif, however, drew a distinction between Pakistan’s formal treaty commitments and its position on the protection of Makkah and Madinah. He said Pakistan considered protection of the holy sites a religious obligation that existed independently of the written defence agreement.
“There is no need to activate any agreement,” Asif said while discussing an attack on the holy sites specifically, arguing that Muslims did not require a treaty to defend Makkah and Madinah. He described that commitment as an “eternal agreement” and said Pakistan would respond if the sacred sites came under attack.
The distinction is important because Asif did not announce the deployment of Pakistani combat forces or disclose an operational military plan. Asked about possible military or political engagement with the Houthis, he declined to provide details, saying strategies at that level were not meant to be publicly disclosed.
Asif said that if the situation deteriorated further, Pakistan would support Saudi Arabia both “practically and diplomatically”. His comments therefore amount to a renewed commitment to the pact and an indication that Islamabad believes its collective-defence provisions are relevant to the current crisis, but they do not by themselves establish what specific military action Pakistan will take.
The agreement has rapidly become a test of the three countries’ new collective-security framework. Signed in Makkah just over a month ago, it was presented by the three governments as a mechanism to strengthen collective deterrence, with the explicit provision that an armed attack on one signatory would be regarded as an attack on all three.
Saudi Arabia has faced a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks during the latest escalation, including strikes against cities and energy infrastructure. Asif had already warned on September 9 that spillover of the Yemen conflict into Saudi territory could trigger the pact, saying Pakistan would honour the agreement if required.
The attempted drone incursion near Makkah has raised the stakes because of the city’s unique religious significance. Saudi Arabia says its air defences destroyed the drone south of Makkah before it reached prohibited airspace. The Houthis dispute Riyadh’s accusation that they were attempting to strike the holy city, meaning responsibility and intended target should continue to be attributed to the competing parties rather than stated as independently established fact.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has separately reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity while Islamabad has continued diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a wider regional confrontation. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has thanked Pakistan for its support and efforts towards regional peace and stability.
Asif also confirmed that Pakistan had conveyed a Saudi message to Iran as part of diplomatic contacts surrounding the crisis. He expressed his personal view that Tehran was unlikely to deliberately open another front by supporting further Houthi escalation while already facing conflict elsewhere in the region.
That assessment remains the defence minister’s view rather than a verified determination about Iranian involvement. The Houthis have longstanding links with Tehran, but the extent of Iranian direction over individual Houthi military decisions is contested and cannot be assumed from that relationship alone.
The defence minister’s statement also comes as Pakistan’s military leadership seeks to define the boundaries of the new alliance. DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has described the Makkah pact as defensive and based on collective deterrence, saying it carries no aggressive or broader “regional aspirations”.
The central unanswered question is therefore no longer whether Pakistan recognises an obligation to Saudi Arabia — senior Pakistani officials have repeatedly said that it does — but how Islamabad and Ankara would translate the collective-defence clause into action if Riyadh formally sought assistance.
For now, Asif has made Pakistan’s political position explicit while keeping the operational response undisclosed: Islamabad says it will honour the Makkah agreement, regards Saudi territorial security as covered by the pact and considers defence of Makkah and Madinah an obligation extending beyond the treaty itself.