ISLAMABAD – Pakistan again signals it could put ‘all available means’ at Saudi Arabia’s disposal amid growing tensions with the Houthis. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks come days after Pakistan Saudi Arabia and Türkiye held first meeting under new joint pact.
Pakistan has sent one of its strongest signals yet that it could provide military support to Saudi Arabia as attacks by Yemen’s Houthis intensify across the region. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking to journalists in Rome, said Pakistan would make “whatever means” at its disposal available for the defence of Saudi Arabia under the new three-nation defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The statement stopped short of confirming whether Pakistani forces have already participated in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen. Asif also did not say whether Riyadh had formally requested Pakistani military assistance. But his remarks hinted at potential reach of Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7.
Under the agreement, an armed attack against one of the three countries is to be treated as an attack against all three. The governments have described the pact as defensive and say it is not directed against any particular country.
The latest warning came just days after the military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye met in Riyadh to discuss closer defence cooperation, intelligence sharing and the integration of military capabilities. The meeting also focused on security threats facing Saudi Arabia and Houthi attacks targeting the kingdom and its infrastructure.
Asif termed Houthis as aggressors and made Pakistan’s position clear. “Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is enemy of Pakistan,” he said.
The escalating confrontation has also raised concerns over one of the world’s key maritime routes. According to AP, the Houthis have expanded their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategic port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands, bringing their reach closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway is a major global trade route through which about 12 percent of global trade passes.
Houthi attacks have also targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and threatened shipping, adding another layer to an already volatile regional security situation.
The escalating confrontation is emerging as an early test for the newly signed Makkah defence agreement. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has stressed that the accord is defensive in nature and is intended to strengthen collective deterrence and the countries’ ability to respond to external aggression.
At the same time, the agreement’s operational and command structures are still being developed, meaning the precise form of any future military response remains unclear.
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