New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against civilian and economic targets in Saudi Arabia’s Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran regions. However, the Mecca Defence Pact has not been activated despite one of its members coming under missile attack.
When a journalist confronted Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on live TV regarding Islamabad’s inaction, he stated that the Mecca Defence Pact would become operational if a need to activate it arose. Asked whether Saudi Arabia had contacted Islamabad about triggering the much-touted agreement, Asif said he had not received any call for help from Riyadh.
“If there is unprovoked aggression or a spillover of whatever is happening in Yemen into Saudi Arabia, then the Mecca Agreement will definitely become operational,” Asif told Geo News anchor Shahzeb Khanzada. “We are bound to provide assistance under the agreement,” he added.
The defence minister’s statement came amid widespread criticism over the inaction of the security mechanism, which was signed last month in Mecca.
Makkah Defence Pact status
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed a major joint defence agreement on August 7 under which an “attack against one of them will be treated as an attack against all of them,” following escalating tensions in West Asia.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the pact after the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence at the Al-Safa Palace in Mecca, according to a joint statement issued by the three nations.
Attack on one, means attack on all
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is “intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all,” the statement read. Experts have compared the clause to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO).
Only condemnation message from Pakistan PM
Earlier on Tuesday, Sharif “strongly” condemned the Houthi attacks targeting Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure, calling them “cowardly” acts that endangered innocent lives and regional security.
In a statement on X, the prime minister expressed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the people of Saudi Arabia. However, his statement also omitted any reference to activating the Mecca Defence Pact.
(With inputs from agency)
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