ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will go “to any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said, reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to the security of the kingdom amid a fresh escalation in regional tensions.
Speaking to Arab News on Thursday, the military spokesperson said Pakistan “fully stands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically”.
“We will go to any extent,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s commitment also extended to protecting Islam’s two holiest sites in Makkah and Madinah.
“We will continue to defend Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any aggression,” he said.
The remarks came as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis continued missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Falling debris from an intercepted drone reportedly killed one person and injured two others in Taif on Thursday, while more than 80 people have been wounded in recent attacks.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen also said it had intercepted a Houthi drone heading towards restricted airspace around Makkah.
Separately, drones launched from Iraq damaged three pumping stations along Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, forcing the major oil-export route to be temporarily shut down.
Defence commitments
Lt Gen Chaudhry’s comments appeared stronger than Islamabad’s public position last week, when the Foreign Office said that no military response was under discussion under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Signed on August 7, the agreement provides that an armed attack against Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Turkiye would be treated as an attack against all three countries.
The pact builds on a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, under which aggression against either country is similarly treated as aggression against both.
However, the detailed operational provisions of the agreements have not been made public, leaving questions about what specific military obligations would be triggered in the event of an attack.
Pakistan already maintains a military presence in Saudi Arabia. According to reports, Islamabad deployed around 8,000 troops, JF-17 fighter jets, drones and an HQ-9 air-defence system to the kingdom in May.
“Our commitment to Saudi security is unconditional,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said, describing ties between the two countries as a “deep-rooted, historical and unbreakable bond”.
Riyadh seeks support
Saudi Arabia has approached several allies, including Pakistan, Britain, France and Egypt, for support as continued Houthi attacks place additional pressure on the kingdom’s missile-defence capabilities, according to the Associated Press.
Lt Gen Chaudhry did not say whether Riyadh had requested additional Pakistani troops, air-defence systems or direct military participation against the Houthis.
He also did not clarify whether Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent was covered by the defence commitments.
Pakistan has previously issued differing statements on the matter. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said following the 2025 bilateral defence agreement that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities could be made available to Saudi Arabia if required. He later told Reuters that nuclear weapons were “not on the radar” of the agreement.
Islamabad calls for diplomacy
The military assurance to Riyadh comes as Pakistan continues diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing the regional conflict from widening.
Islamabad has sought to mediate between the United States and Iran while conveying a Saudi warning to Tehran to use its influence to halt Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir spoke by telephone on Wednesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beijing.
Iranian state media said the two discussed regional developments but did not specify whether the Houthi attacks were raised during the conversation.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan’s political and military leadership remained in close contact with Saudi officials and was consulting other regional governments in an effort to achieve “a negotiated and peaceful outcome” to the wider crisis.
Pakistan had previously facilitated negotiations between Washington and Tehran that resulted in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June.
The memorandum established a framework for ending the conflict and addressing disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security. However, subsequent negotiations have stalled amid renewed military escalation and disagreements over implementation.
Describing the memorandum as a consensus document, Lt Gen Chaudhry said it offered “the only real pathway forward” to resolving the current crisis.
Asked whether Islamabad expected to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations soon, he gave no specific timetable, saying Pakistan would continue efforts to find common ground despite mistrust and opposition from what he called “spoilers” and “detractors”.
