Pakistan Pledges Full Support To Saudi Arabia Against Houthi Threats

Pakistan’s defence minister has said the country will use whatever means are available to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, offering one of Islamabad’s clearest signals yet that it could become more directly involved in the widening regional conflict. Khawaja Muhammad Asif made the remarks during a visit to Rome, where he was asked about Pakistan’s role under a new mutual defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already taken part in airstrikes or whether Saudi Arabia had formally requested military support. He said, however, that Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under the new pact. His remarks stopped short of confirming operational involvement but made clear that Islamabad views the defence commitment as binding.

The comments come after military chiefs from Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia met in Riyadh to discuss responses to Houthi attacks. The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia and expanded their reach along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The conflict has raised concern over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime route used for global trade and energy movement.

Asif described the Houthis as aggressors and said Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia was unambiguous. He said an enemy of Saudi Arabia would be treated as an enemy of Pakistan, framing the matter as part of the defence obligations created by the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. The agreement, signed on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, states that an attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all three.

The pact brings together Saudi Arabia’s regional weight, Turkey’s NATO membership and Pakistan’s military capability. Its full text has not been publicly released, and its command and operational structures are still being developed. Asif said the three countries are working to establish a secretariat and framework for implementation, while other states have shown interest in joining the arrangement.

Despite the strong defence language, Pakistan is also trying to preserve diplomatic space with Iran. Asif said Islamabad supports negotiations to end the broader conflict and favours reviving a negotiated settlement over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Pakistan hosted rare direct talks between Iran and the United States earlier this year, but renewed hostilities later disrupted progress toward a final deal.

For Pakistan, the development creates a delicate balance between military commitments to Saudi Arabia and the need to avoid a wider regional confrontation. Any escalation involving the Houthis, Iran-linked groups, Saudi Arabia and the new defence alliance could affect Pakistan’s diplomacy, security posture and economic interests in the Gulf, where millions of Pakistani workers live and send remittances home.