Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday met the newly appointed secretary-general of the Makkah Defence Alliance, Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood, and was briefed on the strategy to promote “defence and strategic cooperation” under the pact, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
Lt Gen (retd) Mahmood was appointed as the first secretary general of the defence alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye last month. The agreement — signed on August 7 — empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.
During the meeting, the premier reiterated that the pact was a “historic milestone for peace, unity, and stability in the region” and wished Lt Gen (retd) Mahmood well for his new role.
PM Shehbaz also reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering commitment” to the protection of Saudi Arabia’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity and security” during the meeting as the Gulf state, which is a signatory to the pact, has faced escalating tensions with Yemen’s Houthi rebels in recent days.
The premier said Pakistan “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Saudi Arabia, according to Radio Pakistan.
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, targeting fuel and energy facilities it said were being used to support missile and drone attacks, as the Yemeni group threatened a “harsh and painful” response against Saudi airports, refineries and oil installations.
Hours later, Saudi authorities issued warnings of potential hostile aerial threats in the kingdom’s eastern province and Riyadh.
Loud explosions were heard near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, according to witnesses. Later, a Saudi energy ministry official confirmed the attack. Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency said that four people — two women, a man and a child — were wounded by debris from two intercepted Houthi cruise missiles in the capital and that 15 homes were damaged.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers after a truce in their long-running war with Yemen’s coalition government unravelled in July.
Against this backdrop, Pakistan has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia. On October 5, in an emergency meeting of the Makkah pact in Riyadh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye agreed to the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was part of Pakistan’s delegation in the meeting, maintained that Pakistan and Turkiye had “presence in theatre” and only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations.
On September 18, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan would go to “any extent” to defend the Gulf state, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security is “unconditional”.
Asif has also reaffirmed that Pakistan will “practically and diplomatically” stand by Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels if the situation escalates. The defence minister said that Pakistan would fulfil all its obligations under the Makkah Defence Alliance in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the three countries.
At the same time, Pakistan has also asserted that the alliance is intended for collective deterrence and is defensive in nature.