Pakistan Says It Will Honour Makkah Defence Pact After Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan has reaffirmed that it will act in accordance with its obligations under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as tensions escalate following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, while strongly condemning strikes targeting civilian and economic sites in the kingdom.
The Foreign Office reiterated Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security as questions grow over how the recently established trilateral defence framework involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye would operate during a regional security crisis.
Pakistan’s official position is that the agreement is fundamentally defensive, designed to strengthen collective deterrence and regional security rather than serve as a mechanism for launching offensive military operations.
Pakistan Strongly Condemns Houthi Attacks
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has formally condemned attacks carried out by Houthi forces against targets in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran in Saudi Arabia.
Islamabad described the attacks as a violation of Saudi sovereignty and territorial integrity and warned that they threatened peace and stability across the wider region.
Pakistan also said the attacks could undermine efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful and durable settlement of the conflict in Yemen.
The Foreign Office reaffirmed what it described as Pakistan’s unwavering support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, security and prosperity.
Pakistan Backs Saudi Arabia’s Right to Defend Itself
Islamabad went beyond simply condemning the attacks.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan supports Saudi Arabia’s right, consistent with international law and the UN Charter, to take necessary measures to defend its territory, citizens, residents and national assets against threats.
That statement has gained additional significance because the attacks occurred shortly after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye institutionalised their new collective defence arrangement.
However, support for Saudi Arabia’s right of self-defence should not automatically be interpreted as confirmation that Pakistan has decided to deploy forces or launch military operations against the Houthis.
No such operational announcement has been verified.
What Is the Makkah Defence Agreement?
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement brings Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye into a formal trilateral security framework.
Its inaugural Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting was held in Istanbul on August 31.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the three countries agreed to strengthen solidarity, collective deterrence and defence, and cooperative security, while continuing to emphasise restraint, de-escalation and peaceful resolution of regional crises.
The framework also provides for the establishment of a permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan is set to provide the first secretary-general of the mechanism for an initial three-year term.
Khawaja Asif Says Pact Will Be Honoured
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has given one of Pakistan’s clearest explanations of how Islamabad views the agreement.
Speaking after the Houthi attacks, Asif said there should be no ambiguity that aggression against one member of the three-country arrangement would engage the collective-defence framework.
He stressed that Pakistan was bound by the pact and would honour its commitments if required.
Asif also emphasised an important distinction: the agreement is not an offensive pact under which Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye would independently decide to attack another country.
Instead, he described it as a mutual assistance arrangement designed to respond when a member faces aggression.
Houthi Attacks Put New Pact Under Early Test
The attacks on Saudi Arabia have created one of the first significant security tests for the newly formalised trilateral arrangement.
Houthi strikes have targeted cities and economic infrastructure in southern Saudi Arabia, with at least 73 civilians reported injured in the recent escalation.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has warned that attacks against the kingdom, its population and national assets could trigger a strong response.
The developments have raised concerns that the conflict in Yemen could increasingly spill across borders and become entangled with the broader regional confrontation.
Pakistan Has Not Announced Military Deployment
Despite the strong language surrounding the Makkah agreement, there is currently an important limitation to what can be reported as confirmed fact.
Pakistan has not publicly announced that its armed forces are being deployed against the Houthis.
Nor has Islamabad announced direct Pakistani air strikes, naval operations or ground operations in Yemen in response to the latest attacks.
Khawaja Asif said earlier that he had no information about direct Pakistan-Saudi contact concerning the attacks at the time of his remarks.
The distinction is essential because a commitment to fulfil treaty obligations does not necessarily reveal what specific military, intelligence, logistical or diplomatic measures might ultimately be taken.
Pact Designed as Deterrent, Pakistan Says
Pakistan has repeatedly presented the Makkah agreement as a mechanism intended to prevent war rather than expand it.
In an official briefing on September 2, the Foreign Office said the framework was intended to improve prospects for peace, prosperity and regional stability.
The three countries also committed themselves to de-escalation, restraint and peaceful settlement of crises.
Asif similarly suggested that the pact’s collective-defence provisions could function as a deterrent.
That means its effectiveness may depend partly on convincing potential attackers that aggression against one member could carry broader consequences, rather than requiring an automatic identical military response to every attack.
Pakistan Balances Defence Commitments and Diplomacy
The situation presents Pakistan with a complex regional diplomatic challenge.
Islamabad has deep strategic and defence ties with Saudi Arabia and has now formalised those ties within a trilateral mechanism that also includes Türkiye.
At the same time, Pakistan has repeatedly advocated diplomatic de-escalation in wider Middle Eastern conflicts.
The Foreign Office said even while condemning the Houthi attacks that Pakistan would continue working towards lasting peace and stability in the region.
That dual approach — supporting Saudi Arabia’s security while advocating de-escalation — is likely to shape Islamabad’s response as the crisis develops.
Not a ‘Muslim NATO’
The Makkah agreement has drawn comparisons with NATO because of its collective-defence concept.
Those comparisons require caution.
The trilateral framework does not currently possess the decades-old integrated command structure, standing military mechanisms and institutional architecture associated with NATO.
Analysts have therefore cautioned against treating it as a direct equivalent of the Western alliance.
What it does provide is a more formal framework through which Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye can coordinate defence policy, intelligence, strategic consultation and collective deterrence.
What Happens Next?
The key question is whether continuing Houthi attacks lead the three Makkah agreement members to activate more concrete forms of security cooperation.
Pakistan has already made three aspects of its position clear.
It condemns the Houthi attacks, supports Saudi Arabia’s right to defend its territory and citizens, and says it will honour its obligations under the Makkah defence framework.
What remains unclear is what fulfilling those obligations would mean operationally if attacks continue.
For now, there is no confirmed Pakistani military deployment against the Houthis, and Islamabad continues to publicly emphasise both collective defence and regional de-escalation.
