After Mecca Pact U-Turn, Sharif Makes Two Calls To Saudi Prince, Hails Munir But Skips Defence Pledge

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held two phone conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday as Islamabad came under scrutiny over its changing stance on the Mecca Defence Pact following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Sharif said he spoke with the Crown Prince in the afternoon and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “strongest condemnation” of the attacks targeting civilian and economic infrastructure in the Kingdom. He also expressed solidarity with the Saudi leadership and people.

Sharif Repeats Message In Second Post

Just three minutes after his first post, Sharif issued another statement about the same conversation. The second message largely repeated his earlier remarks, including Pakistan’s condemnation of the Houthi attacks and its support for Saudi Arabia.

Sharif also praised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his leadership during the current crisis. He named Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, saying the three would continue working to ease regional tensions and promote peace and stability.

Mecca Pact Triggers Debate

The diplomatic outreach comes after conflicting statements from Pakistani officials over the country’s obligations under the Mecca Defence Pact.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the agreement on August 7, declaring that an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all. The pact was signed amid growing instability across West Asia.

After the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif had said the agreement would become operational in the event of unprovoked aggression or a spillover of the Yemen conflict into Saudi territory. He had also stated that Pakistan was bound to provide assistance under the pact.

However, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry later took a more cautious position, saying there had been no discussion of a military response under the agreement in connection with the Houthi attacks.

Islamabad Clarifies Scope Of Defence Agreement

Pakistan has maintained that the pact does not function like NATO’s Article 5 and is intended to respond to aggression by military establishments. Since the Houthis are a non-state armed group rather than Yemen’s conventional military, Islamabad says their attacks do not automatically trigger the agreement.

The differing statements have raised questions about how far Pakistan is prepared to go in defending Saudi Arabia under the pact. Sharif’s repeated outreach to the Saudi Crown Prince appears aimed at reinforcing Islamabad’s message of solidarity while avoiding a direct commitment to military action.