Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the protection of the Haramain Sharifain. He warned that a military attack on any member of the Makkah Defence Alliance would set off a collective response. His comments appeared in an interview with Independent Arabia, published on Sunday.
Chaudhry said Pakistan’s position on the security of Saudi Arabia and the two holy mosques was clear and firm. He added that Pakistan was already providing the military support the kingdom needed. He also said Pakistan was ready to use every available means to deter attacks, but that operational secrecy stopped him from giving further details.
How the alliance is structured and what it aims to do
Chaudhry said the alliance brings together Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, and rests on long-standing relations, mutual trust and respect. Its shared goal, he said, is to promote security and stability in the region. He described the grouping as purely defensive and said it was not aimed at any particular state.
Under the agreement, an attack on any one of the three members would be regarded as an attack on all of them, which would activate a collective deterrence mechanism, he said. Chaudhry called the alliance’s progress exceptional. He pointed to the setting up of a secretariat and a political and defence strategic committee, which includes the foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs of the three countries.
He said the alliance was meant to strengthen collective security rather than provoke confrontation. In his view, its success would ultimately be measured by what it achieves.
Calls for restraint and continued contact with Iran
Chaudhry warned that widening military confrontation in the Middle East would damage the interests of every country involved. He urged negotiations to prevent further escalation. He said Pakistan’s political and military leadership had been in contact with Iran for months to encourage restraint and ease tensions.
Asked whether Pakistan had directly warned Tehran after attacks on Saudi Arabia, Chaudhry neither confirmed nor denied that such a warning had been given. He said Islamabad’s contacts with the relevant parties remained focused on de-escalation. He described repeated cycles of escalation followed by brief calm as eroding regional stability, and said Pakistan would keep up its diplomatic efforts to stop the conflict spreading. He also called for unity among Muslim countries, arguing that wider military conflict would not serve their peoples.
Questions over possible aid to Yemen and new members
On the possibility of direct military assistance to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, Chaudhry said he did not know whether Islamabad had received a formal request. He added that Pakistan would consider any such request and make an appropriate decision. His remarks came as the alliance faced an early test following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the reported activation of the three countries’ collective defence commitments.
Chaudhry said Pakistan’s military cooperation with Saudi Arabia began decades before the alliance and would continue. He described the existing relationship as wider than the agreement itself. He also said membership was not necessarily closed to other countries that share the alliance’s aims, but that decisions on admitting new members rest with the political and strategic leadership of the three founding countries.
He further said the agreement does not replace or weaken the existing military partnerships of its members. Chaudhry also pointed to growing cooperation on maritime security, noting that Pakistan belongs to a multinational defensive maritime coalition set up to help protect international shipping routes.
