Pakistan providing all necessary support to defend Saudi Arabia: DG ISPR

Pakistan will respond collectively with its allies if efforts to prevent regional conflict fail and any of the three members of the Makkah alliance comes under attack, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said.

In an interview with Independent Arabia aired on Sunday, the military spokesperson said the alliance was established to promote regional peace and security, not to target any particular country.

He cited Article 51 of the United Nations Charter while explaining the principle of collective deterrence underpinning the pact. “If you directly or indirectly wage this war against any of these three countries, then the response will be collective,” he said.

Lt Gen Chaudhry added that if the deterrent failed to prevent aggression, the three countries would have to restore it using all means available to them. He stressed, however, that the alliance had no offensive objectives and that Pakistan was continuing to pursue diplomatic efforts to prevent the regional situation from deteriorating further.

“We need to stop attacking each other,” he said, calling on Muslim countries to unite rather than escalate conflicts. Pakistan had conveyed this message to the parties concerned since the US-Iran war began, he added.

Asked about the assistance Islamabad was providing to Saudi Arabia amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the DG ISPR said Pakistan considered the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the protection of the two holy mosques matters of the highest importance.

“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 said. He declined to disclose the scale or specific details of the support, saying alliances did not publicly quantify such assistance.

Lt Gen Chaudhry said the attacks had caused anger in Pakistan across society, extending from ordinary citizens to the country’s political and military leadership. He questioned why anyone would attack Saudi Arabia or threaten its holy sites, insisting there could be no compromise on their security.