Pakistan providing 'whatever support' Saudi Arabia needs for its defence: DG ISPR

Pakistan providing 'whatever support' Saudi Arabia needs for its defence: DG ISPR

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Pakistan is providing “whatever support is needed” to defend Saudi Arabia amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against the kingdom. The military spokesperson’s remarks — made during an interview with Independent Arabia aired on Sunday — come as Saudi Arabia has been facing deadly attacks by Houthis in recent weeks. Islamabad and Riyadh have signed two defence pacts aimed at collective deterrence, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between the two and the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance that also includes Turkiye. Responding to a query about the military support Pakistan was providing to the kingdom amid attacks by Houthis, the DG ISPR said Saudi Arabia’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the security, and foremost the security of the Two Holy Mosques, is paramount”. “It’s non-negotiable; it’s absolute as far as Pakistan is concerned […] So whatever support is needed to do that is being provided and will be provided,” he affirmed, adding that no alliance makes public the specifics and the quantification of the support provided. Commenting on Pakistan’s reaction to the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, the military spokesman said, “Our reaction in Pakistan, on the streets, from a young boy and girl up to our political and military leadership, is one of anger.” He remarked, “Our reaction is that why would anyone in his right mind attack or threaten Saudi Arabia or the holy places or even give an impression of threatening the holy places.” He declared there could be no “ifs and buts” on the security of the holy sites. On whether Pakistan’s support to Saudi Arabia will strictly remain defensive if the Houthi attacks continue, the DG ISPR said all three members of the alliance were “absolutely clear […] that this alliance has no offensive intent; it is purely defensive”. Citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter that provides collective deterrence, he said such a mechanism “gives a very strong and clear message to those elements of instability, of chaos, in the region that if you directly or indirectly wage this war against any of these three countries, then the response will be collective”. “If that deterrence doesn’t work, then that deterrence has to be re-established by all means that are available to the three countries,” he added. Asked whether Islamabad had issued any “warning” to Tehran regarding Houthis as the Saudi deputy foreign minister linked the two, the DG ISPR stressed that Pakistan had been engaging with all parties involved, including Iran, “with the singular intent of restraint and to reduce the temperatures”. The military spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan’s “all interactions and all conversations with the parties are based on dialling down the escalation”. Regarding reports linking the alliance’s formation to the need to deter Iran or Israel, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the pact was not “country-specific” and did not have any “offensive intent”. However, he added: “It is [formed] to have peace, stability and security in the region. So any actor which threatens that peace, stability and security, it automatically interacts with this collective deterrence mechanism.” ‘We need to stop attacking each other’ Asked about his message to Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world, Lt Gen Chaudhry said Muslims “need to unite”. He emphasised that there was no advantage “to these countries, any country, by vertically or horizontally escalating these conflicts”. “We need to stop attacking each other,” he maintained, highlighting that Pakistan had been trying to convey the same to all parties since the US-Iran war erupted. “If we are unable to come to a negotiated outcome and we turn into a military conflict, then this instrument of collective deterrence of the Makkah alliance will definitely come into play, as it is coming into play,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said. On scepticism raised about the Makkah pact, the DG ISPR remarked that the sceptics were “only those who have a problem with this alliance, so it’s their job to do this criticism”. “It’s not suddenly out of the blue that they have decided. The relations go way back,” he stressed. He further termed it “phenomenal” how the alliance has evolved “in a very short period of time”. More to follow