Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has affirmed that Pakistan and Turkiye are providing support to Saudi Arabia in its military campaign against the Houthi insurgents in Yemen. He emphasized that while both Pakistan and Turkiye maintain a presence in the region, the active combat forces belong to Saudi Arabia. “We are present and offering any assistance required,” he stated during a televised interview on Monday.
Asif explained that the Pakistani and Turkish militaries are primarily engaged in supportive roles such as reconnaissance and other operational activities, while Saudi forces conduct frontline combat. He noted that the Saudi-led coalition is actively reclaiming territories previously held by the Houthis.
This confirmation followed a recent agreement between Islamabad, Riyadh, and Ankara to facilitate the rapid deployment of agreed military forces and capabilities within Saudi Arabia. The decision was reached during an emergency meeting of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) held in Riyadh. The Foreign Office highlighted that this deployment will adhere to the approved protocols and the national laws of the three countries involved.
In a significant development, the Saudi-led coalition announced late Monday that its naval forces had executed a military operation in Yemen’s Red Sea governorate of Hodeidah. Yemeni government forces have already secured strategic locations, including an airstrip in the Dhubab district near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint whose recent capture by the Houthis had caused global energy market concerns.
Meanwhile, the defence minister remarked that the coalition has successfully pushed the Houthis back from several areas they had seized last month, placing the Yemeni government in a favorable position. He reiterated that the coalition’s efforts are yielding territorial gains against the insurgents.
Asif also clarified that Monday’s MJDA meeting in Riyadh was focused on formalizing the alliance’s organizational framework, including appointing its first secretary-general. Pakistan’s Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood (retired) was named to this position for a three-year term, marking a step toward enhancing the collective security and defence cooperation among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.
The Makkah trilateral agreement, signed on August 7, establishes a mutual defence pact whereby an armed attack against any one member is considered an attack against all three. This pact aims to strengthen the alliance’s coordinated response to threats facing the region.
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