RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Pakistan is providing, and will continue to provide, all necessary support to Saudi Arabia to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and security amid escalating Houthi threats.
In an interview with Independent Arabia, the DG ISPR said Saudi Arabia’s security and, above all, the protection of Haramain al-Sharifain (the Two Holy Mosques) were paramount and non-negotiable for Pakistan.
Commenting on the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance, he said Pakistan’s commitment to the arrangement was unequivocal, adding that whatever support is needed to do that is being provided and will be provided to Saudi Arabia.
Addressing reports of Houthi escalation, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan had been sending clear signals through its military deployments, official statements and operational measures that the alliance’s collective deterrence mechanism was in effect.
“This collective deterrence will definitely come into play as it is coming into play”, he noted.
“Pakistan is at the same time giving very strong signals that this collective deterrence is at play and has already been actualised, and we will take all necessary steps for the security and integrity of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
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Through our forces, our statements, our acts and our operational employment, Pakistan is giving very strong signals that this collective deterrence is ‘at play’ and has already been actualized”, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, adding that the message is going to everyone, whether he is in front or he is behind that.
The DG ISPR stressed that Muslim countries needed unity rather than confrontation, arguing that further escalation would bring no advantage to the countries involved.
“We need to stop attacking each other,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s political and military leadership had been working to encourage de-escalation and a peaceful resolution of regional disputes.
He also highlighted the establishment of the alliance’s General Secretariat and Strategic Political and Defence Committee, noting that its manifestation is also there on the ground.
Responding to a question about the alliance’s potential expansion, he said it was not restricted to the three participating countries and remained open to states committed to collective deterrence, regional peace, stability and security.
He also confirmed reports that Egypt and Syria had expressed interest in joining the Makkah agreement.
Asked whether the alliance was intended to counter specific countries, including Israel or Iran, the DG ISPR said it was not directed against any particular state.
He explained that any actor threatening regional peace, stability or security would automatically come within the scope of the alliance’s collective deterrence mechanism.
He said the alliance’s collective deterrence was intended to send a clear message to any elements threatening regional stability that aggression against any of its participating countries would prompt a collective response.