‘To Any Extent’: Pakistan Vows to Defend Saudi Arabia

Pakistan will go “to any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia against aggression, military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Thursday, stressing that Islamabad’s commitment to the Kingdom extends beyond diplomatic support.

“Pakistan fully stands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically,” Chaudhry, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told Arab News.

“And I would like to underscore here the word physically … We will go to any extent,” he said.

Chaudhry said Pakistan’s commitment also extends to protecting Makkah and Madinah, Islam’s two holiest cities.

“There should be no doubt on that,” he said. “So, in a nutshell, we are there and we will continue to defend Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any aggression.”

Chaudhry’s remarks were stronger than Islamabad’s public position last week, when the Foreign Office said no Pakistani military response was then being discussed under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The agreement states that an armed attack against one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all.

“Our commitment to the Saudi security is unconditional,” Chaudhry said, describing the relationship between the two countries as rooted in a “deep-rooted, historical and unbreakable bond.”

Asked whether Riyadh had requested additional Pakistani troops, air-defense systems or direct participation against the Houthis, Chaudhry did not disclose whether a new request had been made.

He also did not explicitly confirm or rule out whether Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent falls under the defense guarantees.

Alongside its military commitment to Riyadh, Islamabad is continuing diplomatic efforts to contain the wider regional crisis.

Chaudhry said Pakistan’s political and military leadership remained in communication with Saudi Arabia, while Islamabad was consulting regional governments to seek “a negotiated and peaceful outcome.”

Pakistan has also sought to mediate between the United States and Iran. Chaudhry described the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding reached in June as “a consensus document” offering a pathway out of the current military crisis.

Asked whether Washington and Tehran could return to negotiations soon, Chaudhry gave no timetable, saying Islamabad continued efforts to find common ground despite mistrust and what he called “spoilers” and “detractors.”

“So that effort keeps on going,” he said.