Army says Pakistan ready to defend Saudi Arabia under Mecca alliance
DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Asharq Al-Awsat that Pakistani troops are already in the kingdom and support will continue as needed.
Pakistan's commitment to Saudi Arabia's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity is "absolute and non-negotiable", the military's director general of inter-services public relations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said in an interview with the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Wednesday. Islamabad will keep providing whatever support the kingdom's defence requires, he said, whether in military personnel, defence capabilities, training or logistics.
The remarks came as Houthi attacks from Yemen on Saudi energy, aviation and civilian infrastructure continue. Independent Urdu reported that Saudi civil defence said on Thursday that two ballistic missiles were destroyed in the airspace over Mecca.
Aaj News reported that the next stage of implementing the collective defence commitments under the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance would ensure the immediate deployment of military capabilities and designated troops inside Saudi Arabia. Asked about additional capabilities, including air and missile defence, or a larger troop presence, the spokesman said the number of troops, deployment locations and operational details of military alliances are not made public, but that required support would continue.
Pakistani troops are already in the kingdom in various capacities, he said, with defence assistance, exercises and military drills as their main missions.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral strategic defence agreement in September last year, and on 7 August Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance. Both agreements treat an attack on one member as an attack on all. The spokesman said both are entirely defensive in nature.
The decision to act on the alliance's obligations followed the recent attacks on Saudi airports, cities and civilian and economic installations, which he condemned as a direct threat to Saudi sovereignty, regional stability and the lives and property of civilians. He said the defence of Saudi Arabia and the Harmain Sharifain is Pakistan's foremost and unconditional priority.
On Iran, he said the meeting in Tehran on 26 October between representatives of the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance and Iranian officials was meant to set up a framework for reducing tension and expanding regional cooperation. Field Marshal Asim Munir attended the meeting, and his visit to Tehran a few days earlier showed Pakistan's commitment to talks and a peaceful resolution in the region, the spokesman said. Participants agreed to keep talking in order to increase cooperation among the four countries and to help secure peace and stability in the region, he said, without disclosing any other specific agreement.
How the reports differ
Aaj News led its report on the next phase of the Mecca alliance, saying military capabilities and designated troops would be deployed inside Saudi Arabia without delay, a detail Independent Urdu's report did not carry. Aaj News also reported the spokesman's answer that troop numbers, deployment locations and operational details of military alliances are not disclosed. Independent Urdu reported that the Tehran talks ended with agreement to keep talking among four countries, without any further specific agreement being revealed. Both outlets attributed the remarks to an interview with the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat.
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