ISLAMABAD Sept 29, 2026 – Pakistan’s defence minister said Tuesday that Islamabad will use “whatever means are available” to protect Saudi Arabia from Iran-backed Houthi attacks, one of the clearest signals yet that the nuclear-armed country could be drawn more directly into the widening conflict.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, speaking to reporters in Rome, tied the pledge to the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed in August by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Under the pact, an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all three. “Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan. That should be very clear,” Asif said. He declined to confirm whether Pakistani forces had already taken part in strikes.
The comments follow earlier assurances from Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who told Arab News that Islamabad would defend the kingdom “to any extent” — diplomatically and physically — including the holy sites in Mecca and Medina. Pakistani forces are already deployed in the kingdom.
Houthi forces have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory and recently seized the port of Mokha and several Red Sea islands, extending their reach toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a route that carries about 12 percent of global trade. Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish military chiefs have been coordinating under the new pact as Riyadh presses its partners for operational support.
The episode tests Pakistan’s attempt to remain both a Gulf security partner and a back-channel to Tehran, as the Houthi campaign increasingly spills across Saudi borders.
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