Pakistan says it is providing support to Saudi Arabia and will continue to do so, but Chaudhry did not specify the type or scale of Pakistan’s current support as the kingdom faces Houthi attacks.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), made the remarks in an interview with Independent Arabia that aired Oct. 18. He grouped Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the security of Islam’s two holiest mosques as priorities he called “non-negotiable.”
Chaudhry said Pakistan was providing “whatever support is needed” and would continue. He declined to identify the assistance’s form or scale, citing operational secrecy, and described the alliance as having “no offensive intent.”
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement Aug. 7. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said an armed attack on one signatory would be treated as an attack on all three, in line with the right of collective self-defense. An Oct. 5 statement from the alliance’s strategic, political and defense committee said the members had agreed to provide military forces and capabilities for rapid deployment to Saudi Arabia, describing collective deterrence as a way to protect the kingdom.
Chaudhry said military cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia goes back decades, predating the three-country agreement. The Associated Press reported Sept. 16, citing two unnamed regional officials, that Saudi Arabia had sought air-defense deployments from Pakistan, France, Britain and Egypt. That report came before the Oct. 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Egypt’s National Defense Council also pledged support for Saudi Arabia on Oct. 18 and said it would step up diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions, the Egyptian presidency said. The statement did not announce a deployment. EconoTimes previously covered the council’s pledge of support for Saudi Arabia. Youm7 reported that Egyptian lawmakers adjourned debate on authorizing military assistance if Saudi Arabia requests it; discussion is due to resume Monday, Oct. 26.
