Amid Gulf tensions, Pakistan backs Makkah pact
Pakistan on Thursday said it was committed to implementing the Makkah defence agreement amid raging tensions in the Gulf region after what Saudi Arabia described as an attempted drone attack by Yemen’s Houthis against the Muslim holy city.
The trilateral defence agreement, involving Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, was inked last month. The pact establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of them would be regarded as an attack against all.
Speaking to Geo News on Wednesday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan is fully prepared to fulfil its obligations under the Makkah agreement. The “Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty,” he was quoted as saying by the news channel. Asif’s statements came after Saudi authorities claimed that their air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the city. The drone was destroyed before it entered Mecca’s prohibited airspace, according to Saudi authorities.
The Houthis, however, denied targeting Mecca or any Islamic holy site. “If Makkah is attacked, there is no need for an agreement to protect it,” Asif was quoted as saying by the channel.
He said Pakistan did not need an agreement to protect the holy sites, as safeguarding them was a duty even in the absence of the pact. During his weekly briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan reiterated the intent and spirit to uphold the defence deal.
Responding to a query on whether any mechanism had been devised as to how Pakistan will ensure that recent Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia were thwarted, Khan said that Pakistan was committed to “implementing” the agreement.
“However, when, how, where and what force will be used against what objectives, in which modes and matters - operational confidentiality requires us to be discreet at this stage,” he added.
He said that Pakistan has for a long time shared the perspective of having peace and stability in the region because “this is not only in the interest of Pakistan and Iran, but also the entire region and beyond.” He also termed the Bab el-Mandeb situation as “exceptionally serious” and went on to call on the Houthis to stop their activities.
“In this regard, our discussions basically revolve around bringing peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy and not through coercive measures,” he said.
On Wednesday, Asif had said the Makkah pact provided for mutual defence if the territorial integrity or geographical boundaries of any of the three countries were violated.
