Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan stands fully committed to Saudi Arabia’s security and would take whatever measures are required to defend the kingdom amid escalating Houthi attacks.
He made the remarks in an interview with Arab News, clips of which were shared on the publication’s X account on Friday.
The comments came as fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis intensified, with the group making gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the strategic waterway and launching missile and drone attacks towards Saudi territory. Riyadh has responded with increased airstrikes against Houthi positions.
Earlier this week, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis accused the group of targeting the holy city of Makkah, triggering widespread condemnation across the Muslim world. The Houthis rejected the allegation, describing Riyadh’s report as false.
“Pakistan fully stands with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically. And I would like to underscore the word physically,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.
“We will go to any extent for the security of Haramain Sharifain and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To any extent as asked and required by our Saudi brothers,” he said, adding that Pakistanis stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the Saudi people.
He said Pakistan would continue to defend Saudi Arabia against any aggression.
The military spokesperson said Pakistan’s political and military leadership remained in continuous contact with the Saudi leadership.
At the same time, he said Islamabad was working “very earnestly and sincerely”, with the support of regional countries and others, to seek a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the complex situation.
In another clip shared on X, Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan remained committed to the protection of Haramain Sharifain and Saudi Arabia and reiterated that Islamabad would take whatever steps were required by the Saudi leadership.
“Our commitment to Saudi security is unconditional,” he said, describing it as rooted in a “deep-rooted, historical and unbreakable bond” between the peoples and political and military leaderships of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
He said Pakistan’s commitment would not be deterred by any circumstances and that Islamabad would respond as required.
According to the report of the interview, Lt Gen Chaudhry was also asked about a phone call on Wednesday between Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
He said Pakistan’s political and military leadership remained in continuous communication with Saudi Arabia on the developments.
Lt Gen Chaudhry added that Islamabad was consulting regional governments in an effort to achieve a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the broader crisis.
He described the Islamabad memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in June as a consensus document that Pakistan believed offered a potential pathway out of the ongoing military situation.
Asked whether Pakistan expected Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations soon, the military spokesperson did not provide a specific timeline. He said Islamabad continued efforts to identify common ground despite mistrust and opposition from various actors.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in Riyadh last September, under which an attack on either country would be treated as aggression against both.
Last month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye also signed the Makkah Defence Alliance, which provides that an attack on one member state would be considered an attack on all members. Its inaugural meeting was held in Istanbul on August 31, where members decided that Pakistan would initially lead the alliance’s secretariat for three years.
Earlier this week, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the Makkah defence pact had no “regional aspirations” and was intended to serve as a mechanism for collective deterrence.
“It is defensive. There’s nothing aggressive. There are no regional aspirations. It is collective deterrence,” he said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security but stressed that the Houthi conflict should be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy rather than coercive measures.
“The Houthis must also stop their activities, and in this regard, our discussions basically revolve around bringing peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy, and not through coercive measures,” he said.
The FO spokesperson said Pakistan remained committed “in intent and spirit” to implementing the agreements signed with Saudi Arabia. However, he declined to disclose how Islamabad might respond operationally, saying such decisions involved confidential matters.
