RAWALPINDI (The Thursday Times) — Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity is “absolute and non-negotiable”, the military’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said in an interview with a Saudi daily published on Wednesday.
He said the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye had moved into the practical implementation of its collective defence commitments after the recent attacks on the kingdom. That means steps to allow the rapid deployment of agreed forces and capabilities inside Saudi Arabia, higher readiness, closer military integration, intelligence sharing, and coordination of what he called exclusively defensive operations.
Troops already in the kingdom
Pakistani troops are already present in Saudi Arabia in various capacities, mainly providing defensive support and taking part in exercises, Chaudhry said. Pakistan would keep providing whatever support was needed for defence, “whether in terms of military personnel, military capabilities, training, or logistical assistance”.
Asked about air and missile defence or further deployments, he gave no details, saying military alliances do not disclose troop numbers, deployment locations, or operational specifics.
He condemned the strikes on Saudi airports, cities, and civilian and economic infrastructure as a direct threat to the kingdom’s sovereignty and to regional stability. “The security of Saudi Arabia and the Two Holy Mosques is a top, non-negotiable priority,” he said. Saudi Arabia has reported a run of Houthi missile and drone attacks in recent days, including drones it said were aimed at Mecca, and G7 foreign ministers this week condemned the strikes.
Dialogue as well as deterrence
Chaudhry also urged restraint, de-escalation, and diplomacy, saying further escalation served no one. He pointed to the meeting in Tehran on October 26 between representatives of the alliance and Iran, attended by Field Marshal Asim Munir, as an effort to build a framework for de-escalation. The participants agreed to “continue dialogue to enhance cooperation among the four countries and contribute to achieving peace and stability in the region”.
He said both Pakistan’s bilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, signed in September last year, and the three-country Makkah alliance, signed in August and approved by Türkiye’s parliament this month, were purely defensive and not aimed at any country.
