Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a strong warning regarding potential aggression towards Saudi Arabia. He stated that any attack on the kingdom could trigger the Mecca Defense Alliance, emphasizing that an act of aggression against one member would be considered an attack on all signatories of the alliance. This statement underscores Pakistan’s commitment to regional security and the importance of collective defense among its allies.
“We’re bound by the terms and conditions of this pact and, God willing, we’ll honor this pact if there’s aggression. He urged the Houthis not to draw Saudi Arabia further into Yemen’s conflict, saying any attempt to do so could bring the pact into play.
There should be no ambiguity about this,” Asif said in an interview with Geo News. The Houthis should recognize that their actions “could make this agreement operational,” he said. Asif said he is unaware whether Riyadh has reached out to Islamabad, but reiterated that “we are bound to help or react according to the agreement. Asif said the pact is defensive rather than offensive and provides for members to respond collectively to an attack on one. “We are hoping the situation will die down,” he said.
He pointed to the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition intervened against the Houthis in 2014 after the group seized the capital and drove out the internationally recognized government.
Pakistan has long-standing defense ties with Saudi Arabia, and Asif said Islamabad had supported the kingdom even before the agreement was sealed. Separately, Asif said he remained hopeful that efforts to secure peace between the US and Iran could succeed despite an apparent impasse.
