‘Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan,’ says Khawaja Asif
ROME: Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, while declining to confirm or deny whether Pakistani forces had participated in Saudi airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen.Speaking to reporters in Rome, Asif said Pakistan was committed to defending Saudi Arabia and that all of the country’s…
ROME: Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, while declining to confirm or deny whether Pakistani forces had participated in Saudi airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Asif said Pakistan was committed to defending Saudi Arabia and that all of the country’s available military capabilities would be accessible to the Kingdom.
Referring to the mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, the defence minister said Pakistan would honour its security commitments. Describing the Houthis as aggressors, he said, “Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan. That should be very clear.”
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. The pact states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three. The countries have described the agreement as defensive and said it is not directed against any particular state.
Asif’s remarks came amid intensified Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and growing regional tensions.�
