Turkey says Saudi-Pakistan pact could expand to Iran
Turkish parliamentary speaker says pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could broaden to wider Muslim world, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported on Friday that Turkey's parliamentary speaker said a pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could be expanded to the wider Muslim world, including Iran.
The wire service carried the story with the headline: 'Pact with Saudi and Pakistan could expand to Muslim world, Iran, Turkish speaker says.' The standfirst repeated the headline. The full text of the Reuters report was not immediately retrievable, and Skardu Times could not independently confirm the Turkish official's remarks.
The Turkish speaker was not identified by name in the headline or standfirst reviewed by Skardu Times, and no direct quotation was available. Reuters did not specify the nature of the pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, nor when or where the speaker made the comments. The report was filed at 10:01 a.m., according to the timestamp on the feed through which Skardu Times accessed it.
The Times of India, in a separate report, framed Pakistan as seeking to become the Muslim world's security guard and questioned whether its economy could bear the cost. The Indian newspaper's headline read: 'Pakistan wants to be the Muslim world's security guard. Can its economy pay the bill?' Its full report was also not available.
The Times of India headline did not state that Pakistan has formally accepted such a role; rather, it described an apparent ambition and raised a question about affordability. No further details were provided in the material accessible to Skardu Times.
No official confirmation from Islamabad, Riyadh or Ankara was immediately available. The reported comments come as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and defence, though the specific pact referenced by the Turkish speaker was not identified in the available reporting.
The absence of the full reports means the context of the Turkish speaker's statement and the basis for The Times of India's framing remain unclear. Skardu Times will update this report if further information becomes available.
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