ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will assess any formal request for military assistance from Yemen’s internationally recognised government, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said, as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensify.
Speaking to Independent Arabia on Sunday, the military spokesperson said he was not aware of any formal request from Yemen. However, he noted that any such appeal would be evaluated by the Pakistani government before a response was issued.
“I think not in my knowledge that there has been any formal request. If there is any request, then that is for the government of Pakistan to evaluate that and respond to that,” he said.
Discussing regional security, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) could become a key factor if diplomatic efforts failed and tensions escalated into military confrontation.
“If we are unable to come to a negotiated outcome and we turn into a military conflict, then this instrument of collective deterrence of the Makkah alliance will definitely come into play, as it is coming into play,” he said.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the agreement on August 7 at the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence. The pact stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three signatories would be treated as an attack against all three countries.
According to the ISPR chief, the agreement had made considerable progress within a short period and reflected the shared strategic outlook of the three nations.
He stressed that Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remained a key priority for Pakistan, alongside the protection of Islam’s two holiest sites.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan’s position had been communicated clearly by the country’s political and military leadership, reiterating Islamabad’s commitment to regional peace and stability.
His remarks come amid renewed fighting involving the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s Houthi movement, which controls the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country’s north. The escalating confrontation has added to regional tensions amid the wider US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Recent Houthi attacks and the renewed hostilities have also raised concerns over the security of key regional infrastructure and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb shipping route, particularly following the collapse of a truce.
The ISPR chief said reports of attacks targeting Islam’s holiest sites had triggered widespread grief and anger among the public as well as Pakistan’s political and military leadership.
Warning against further escalation, he said an expansion of the conflict would serve no country’s interests and called for a negotiated settlement to regional disputes.
He also emphasised that the Makkah alliance was defensive in nature, had no aggressive intentions and was not directed against any specific country.
Calling for greater unity among Muslim nations, Lt Gen Chaudhry urged regional countries to resolve their differences through dialogue rather than armed confrontation.
He said the alliance was intended to contribute to peace, stability and security throughout the region, adding that diplomatic engagement remained the preferred way to settle disputes.
