New York (The Thursday Times) — The US magazine Bloomberg has reported that Pakistan has affirmed its readiness to support Saudi Arabia if it comes under attack from Iran, noting that Islamabad will stand alongside Riyadh if necessary.
Bloomberg reported that, as Iran continues to target Gulf and Arab states in response to US and Israeli attacks, the spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister said his country would intervene in support of Saudi Arabia if the need arose.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state that shares a border with Iran, signed a joint defence agreement in September last year, which strengthened the security partnership that has existed between the two countries for years. The ongoing escalation in the Middle East puts this relationship to a real test.
Mosharraf Zaidi, the spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday:
"There is no doubt that we will provide assistance, and we will stand with Saudi Arabia if the need arises, whatever the circumstances and whatever the timing."
He added that, even before the defence agreement was signed, the two countries had always been committed to the principle of standing by each other in times of hardship and crisis.
According to Bloomberg, Zaidi explained that the more important question is what Pakistan is doing to prevent the situation from reaching a stage at which its close partners become more deeply engaged in a conflict that would harm the stability and prosperity of the region.
The prime minister's spokesman also noted that, since the outbreak of the conflict, Saudi Arabia has made arrangements to help supply oil and diesel to Pakistan, amid the global crisis in fuel markets, which particularly affects Pakistan as an import-dependent country.
Bloomberg wrote that the war, which has continued for a week and involves the United States and Israel, has seen Tehran continue its missile attacks on Gulf states, causing the conflict to widen alarmingly, with repercussions felt in different parts of the world.
وأعلنت السعودية يوم السبت أنها اعترضت طائرات مسيرة كانت في طريقها إلى منشأة نفطية كبرى، في تطور يعكس استمرار استهداف البنية التحتية للطاقة خلال هذه الحرب. وقد أسهم ذلك أيضاً في ارتفاع ملحوظ في أسعار النفط الخام والغاز۔
وفي نهاية الأسبوع الماضي، وصل قائد الجيش الباكستاني المشير عاصم منير إلى السعودية، حيث التقى صاحب السمو الملكي الأمير خالد بن سلمان بن عبدالعزيز وزير الدفاع. وبحث الجانبان الإجراءات المشتركة الرامية إلى التصدي للهجمات الإيرانية بالطائرات المسيرة والصواريخ. ويُنظر إلى هذه التطورات على أنها أول اختبار كبير لاتفاق الدفاع المشترك بين البلدين۔
وبحسب مشرف زيدي، فإن نائب رئيس الوزراء ووزير الخارجية الباكستاني محمد إسحاق دار يواصل منذ اندلاع الحرب اتصالاته مع نظيره الإيراني عباس عراقجي۔
وأضافت بلومبرغ، نقلاً عن المتحدث باسم رئيس الوزراء الباكستاني، أن هذه الاتصالات إلى جانب المساعي الدبلوماسية الأخرى أسهمت في دفع إيران إلى تبني قدر من التهدئة في موقفها تجاه دول الخليج۔
