Pakistan Says No Military Response Discussed Under Mecca Pact After Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Pakistan said there were no discussions about a military reaction from Islamabad under the Mecca agreement in response to the Houthis’ attacks on Saudi Arabia, but that Pakistan would act when the “time comes,” according to a weekly media briefing in Islamabad by foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan.

“There is no such thing under discussion right now … When time comes (we) will act under the agreement”

WTAQ

Reuters reported that the joint defence agreement signed last month stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them, after the question arose following Iran-backed Houthis striking Saudi cities and energy infrastructure this week.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that Yemen’s Houthi group on Tuesday carried out attacks in southern Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh saying that at least 73 people were wounded, as fighting escalates in Yemen between the Iran-aligned group and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that “If there is unprovoked aggression, or a spillover of whatever is happening in Yemen into Saudi Arabia, definitely the Mecca agreement will become operational,” linking the pact’s activation to whether Yemen fighting spreads into the Kingdom.

Eurasia Review said Pakistan’s leader expressed “unwavering solidarity” with Saudi Arabia after Houthi drone and missile attacks on civilian and energy facilities in the Kingdom left 73 people injured, and it quoted Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif saying the three-nation defense pact could become operational in the event of aggression against the Kingdom.

In the same reporting, Asif warned the Houthis not to exploit the broader US-Iran confrontation to draw Saudi Arabia into the conflict, saying it would be “at its own peril.”

Al Jazeera Centre for Studies

The Times of India quoted Asif saying there should be “no ambiguity” that an attack on any one of the three members would be treated as an attack on all, and it added that he said Pakistan was “bound by the terms and conditions of this pact” and would honour commitments to Saudi Arabia if required.

NDTV also quoted Asif saying “We're bound by the terms and conditions of this pact and, God willing, we'll honor this pact if there's aggression,” while describing the agreement as defensive rather than offensive and urging the Houthis not to draw Saudi Arabia further into Yemen’s conflict.

The Times of India said the Saudi-led coalition warned that the Houthi attacks had temporarily disrupted operations at some targeted sites, while specialised teams worked to contain fires and secure the facilities, and it also said Riyadh warned against continued attacks on civilians and commercial shipping.

“the precise mechanisms for implementing this pledge have yet to be clarified”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that the Mecca agreement mirrors a key NATO stipulation, with a strike on any single member to be considered a strike on the entire group, though it said the precise mechanisms for implementing the pledge have yet to be clarified.

WTAQ | Other said Pakistan condemned the attacks but provided no details on how it might respond under the terms of its defence pact, and it added that Pakistan has also been mediating the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

Eurasia Review said Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks as violating Saudi sovereignty and that Pakistan stood in “unwavering” solidarity with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the people of Saudi Arabia, framing the dispute as threatening “regional peace and security.”