Pakistan will defend Saudi Arabia with full force, says Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said Pakistan will defend Saudi Arabia with full force, and that protecting the kingdom is as important to Islamabad as defending its own territory.

Speaking on Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, he said the defence of Saudi Arabia was an obligation for Pakistan. In his words: “Just as the defence of Pakistan comes first, the defence of Saudi Arabia is equally a priority for us.” He said the relationship between the two countries went beyond formal agreements.

According to the defence minister, Riyadh airport was targeted repeatedly and attempts were also made to attack the Holy Mosques, which he called deeply regrettable. He said three countries were now bound by an agreement to defend each other’s territory against any foreign aggression. He said the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen began in 2014 and that Pakistan had stood by its resolve to defend the kingdom ever since.

The remarks came as the Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, attended a meeting in Tehran with senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The four sides agreed to continue talks to strengthen regional cooperation. According to The Express Tribune, the Saudi defence minister and the head of Turkish intelligence were also present at the meeting.

Khawaja Asif said the initiative was mostly related to the situation in Saudi Arabia, though the issue of the United States was probably also discussed. He said Iran’s joint statement had come from the highest level and that he believed an outcome meeting the requirements for stopping the war had been reached, though he was “somewhat cautious” about the results. He credited Field Marshal Asim Munir’s efforts for the progress.

Asked about the Houthis, he said such groups could operate where no state structure existed and did not necessarily need patronage. He also said wars should not be started for limited political aims.

According to Haaretz, the Tehran meeting was the first high-level contact between Iran and the three countries that signed the Makkah defence agreement in August since the war began with US and Israeli attacks. On the same day, the Houthis carried out fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia and Egypt approved defence assistance for the kingdom.