Underscores it remains binding on Pakistan to safeguard Saudi Arabia in the wake of recent Houthi attacks on kingdom
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif speaking at the National Assembly. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/ NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday hinted at the possibility of “progress” in a meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance members with Iran, stating that the participants had likely arrived at a “conclusion” to end Saudi Arabia’s conflict with the Houthis.
Members of the Makkah Defence Alliance and Iran agreed to continue further dialogue in an effort to ramp up cooperation for regional peace and security after a high-level meeting in Tehran.
Attacks by Yemen’s Houthis have spiralled in recent weeks, and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has grown more heated. Both countries have also drawn up plans to restart the wider war, possibly after the US midterm elections on November 3.
Speaking on a private news channel, Asif said it seemed that “some progress” had transpired in the Tehran meeting, given how Iran had issued a joint statement after the meeting about deciding to launch joint efforts towards peace along with regional countries.
Questioned whether the meeting was more about the US-Iran war or the Saudi-Houthi conflict, he said the talks in Tehran were directed as “more of an effort for what is happening in Saudi Arabia”, further adding that while the US-Iran aspect would have been discussed, the presence of the Saudi defence minister and the Turkish intelligence chief were also significant.
“The joint statement from Iran has come at the highest level of the country’s hierarchy. I think we have arrived at some sort of a conclusion that will help close out this war.”
He added: “Let us hope that after Iran’s joint statement, there are some steps taken towards peace.”
The minister underscored that it remained binding on Pakistan to safeguard Saudi Arabia, especially given how the Houthis were targeting Riyadh airport and the holy sites.
“We will defend Saudi Arabia with all of our might and capability.
“Just as Pakistan’s defence is indispensable for us, in the same manner, the defence of Saudi Arabia is also compulsory for us. Under the agreement, the three countries are committed through an arrangement to collectively deal with threats,” he said.
Responding to a question of whether Iran would bring Houthis to the negotiating table or make them stop attacks on the kingdom, Asif stated that elements such as the Houthis operated as independent actors and did not necessarily require patronage.
“Once you have a setup in a country where there is no state structure, then it is possible for groups like this to operate in this manner”.
Asif further noted that Saudi Arabia’s war with Yemen started in March 2014, and it had been Pakistan’s commitment ever since to defend the kingdom. “Now three countries are bound by the agreement that we will defend each other’s territory against any foreign aggression.”
The defence minister stated that Pakistan’s peace initiatives, led by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, had positive effects.
Commenting on elections in Israel and the United States, Asif said it was unfair to create and continue conflicts for political reasons.
“In my view, for limited political objectives, wars should not be started.”
Tensions rising
Saudi Arabia intercepted another wave of missiles and drones on Sunday as fighting with the Houthis continued unabated.
Ministers from the Makkah pact countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month and agreed to ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi attacks have become an increasingly destabilising element in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, turning US ally Saudi Arabia into a pressure point in the wider war.
Read More: Saudi-led coalition intercepts 3 drones over Riyadh, southern Saudi Arabia
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharpened in recent days. President Donald Trump said on Friday the US may carry out another military operation against Iran and Iran’s leaders have said that a renewed US military campaign would be met with a stronger response than before.
Iranian security officials have told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to hit Gulf undersea cables if the United States and Israel attack again. A US intelligence memo this week warned that Iranian plots against American personnel had reached “advanced stages”.
The war, now nearly eight months old, has weighed on US President Donald Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the midterms.
The Makkah agreement’s first article says the parties shall use “all necessary means” to eliminate threats to one another’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or internationally recognised borders, according to a text seen by Reuters.
Efforts by Turkiye’s parliament to ratify the agreement began last week and are still underway, while Pakistan approved the pact last week.
