Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Thursday that more time was needed to implement the Makkah defence pact amid renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, while stressing that Pakistani forces are already present in the kingdom for training and logistical purposes.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks during the weekly press briefing when asked how Islamabad would fulfil its obligations under the trilateral defence agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
The spokesperson said further aspects of defence cooperation under the agreement would emerge in due course.
Pakistan condemns Houthi attacks
The Foreign Office strongly condemned Houthi attacks targeting civilian and economic sites in Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering support” for the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and prosperity.
The statement came a day after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Houthi forces had attacked the southern Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones.
The latest strikes followed attacks a day earlier that reportedly injured more than 70 people across several Saudi cities, further raising concerns about renewed regional escalation.
The Makkah trilateral defence agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack against all three.
The agreement was concluded 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.
Khawaja Asif earlier said pact would be activated
Earlier this week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said Houthi attacks on Saudi territory would trigger the Makkah Defence Alliance.
“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,” Asif said during Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath.
The defence minister said any unprovoked aggression or spillover of fighting from Yemen into Saudi Arabia would “definitely” operationalise the agreement.
He said Pakistan was bound by the terms of the pact and would honour its commitments if required, while adding that Islamabad hoped the situation would eventually come under control.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Could Trigger Makkah Defence Pact, Warns Pakistan
FO condemns demolition of Muslim sites in India
During the briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson also condemned what he described as the “systematic” and “state-sanctioned” demolition of Muslim places of worship in India.
Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan was deeply concerned over the reported demolition of Islamic holy sites and alleged that such actions violated the 1950 Liaquat-Nehru Pact, which provides guarantees concerning the rights and security of religious minorities.
He also referred to India’s Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which provides that the religious character of a place of worship should be maintained as it existed on August 15, 1947.
The spokesperson cited several mosques, including the Akhonji Mosque, Ajgaib Shaheed Mosque and Saharanpur Collectorate Mosque, as well as the centuries-old Ganj Shahida Mosque, which he said had recently received court notices.
Pakistan called on the international community to take notice of what it described as continued persecution of Muslims in India.
The spokesperson also rejected a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs concerning damage to a Hindu temple in Narowal, saying the structure had been damaged by torrential rain rather than deliberate action.
Pakistan urges UN to address Yasin Malik case
The Foreign Office also raised the situation of jailed Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, with the spokesperson condemning what Pakistan described as his mistreatment and urging the international community to take notice.
Sajjad Haider Khan said Malik’s decision to withdraw from his defence was a protest against the Indian judicial system.
He alleged that the system had become a means of denying justice to Kashmiris and urged the United Nations and international human rights organisations to take notice of Malik’s situation.
Pakistan also called on the international community not to allow Malik’s life and health to be used for political purposes.
