"Will Fulfil Duty": Pak's Saudi Pact Warning After Drone Attack On Mecca

A day after the Houthis attempted what Saudi Arabia described as a drone attack on the holy city of Mecca, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that it is fully prepared to fulfil its obligations under the Mecca agreement.'

While speaking to Geo News on Wednesday, he said, the "Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty".

He said that Pakistan does not need to be tied by an agreement to protect the holy sites, and that safeguarding them was a duty.

"If Makkah is attacked, there is no need for an agreement to protect it," he said.

The Pakistani minister said that there was "absolutely no ambiguity" about the application of the Mecca defence pact but refused to open up about the details of its defence or military strategy.

He said that Pakistan had conveyed Saudi Arabia's message to Iran over Houthi attacks in the region and claimed that Iran would not "open another front" while already being embroiled in a conflict.

He drew a distinction between the formal Iranian state apparatus and informal non-state actors, emphasising that these groups maintain the autonomy to execute actions without official authorisation or support.

Asif's comments came after cities on the western coast of Saudi Arabia were placed on security alert on Tuesday after authorities said that their air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the city.

The Saudi authorities said that the drone was destroyed before it entered Mecca's prohibited airspace. However, the Houthis denied that they attacked Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.

Pakistan's 'Condemnation' Over Houthi Attack On Mecca

After the attempted attack on Mecca, Islamabad sent a word of 'condemnation' over Houthis making the holy site a possible target. In a post on X, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he "condemns in the strongest possible terms the dastardly and heinous attempted drone attack against the Holy Site of Makkah Al-Mukarramah."

He gave a "salute" to the "extraordinary vigilance, courage, and professionalism of the Royal Saudi Armed Forces, for their swift and heroic action", but did not commit to any possible help for the kingdom.

"Pakistan stands unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the defence of its sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as for the security and sanctity of the Haramain Sharifain - a duty that every Pakistani carries close to their heart," he added.

The fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen represents the first major test of the mutual defence alliance that was signed between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey last month, adding to a pre-existing pact between Islamabad and Riyadh. Under the arrangement, an armed attack on any one of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack on all.