Pakistan Walks Back Saudi Defence Pact Stance Amid Escalating Houthi Attacks

Pakistan has said there is currently no discussion of a military response under its defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, even as Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom continue to escalate.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on Thursday that Islamabad would act under the Mecca defence agreement “when the time comes”, but stressed that no military response was being discussed at present, Reuters reported.

“There is no such thing under discussion right now … When the time comes, (we) will act under the agreement,” Khan said during his weekly media briefing.

The Mecca defence pact was signed last month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The agreement states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three.

Pakistan’s comments came as the conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis intensified. The Houthis have targeted Saudi cities and energy infrastructure, raising concerns about the wider impact on regional security and global shipping.

On Thursday, the Houthis also seized a strategic port on the Red Sea, potentially giving the group greater leverage over the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime route. The development comes as global trade is already facing disruption from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global energy trade passes.

Pakistan, which has sought to mediate between the United States and Iran, condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia but did not disclose any specific measures it planned to take under the Mecca pact.

Pakistan Warns Iran Over Houthi Attacks

The escalating attacks have also placed Pakistan in a difficult position as Islamabad seeks to maintain close ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. Pakistan recently warned Tehran to restrain its Yemeni allies, Reuters reported, citing Pakistani and Iranian sources. A senior Iranian official confirmed that Islamabad delivered the message on Tuesday.

Iran, however, rejected responsibility for the Houthi attacks, telling Pakistan that “Iran does not control the Houthis”. The situation has raised questions over whether Pakistan could eventually be drawn into the Saudi-Houthi conflict under the terms of the Mecca agreement.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had earlier suggested that the pact could be activated if aggression reached Saudi Arabia. “An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries,” Asif said in an interview with Pakistani television.