Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to the Gulf state’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity and security” under the Makkah Defence Alliance. The defence pact, of which Turkiye is also a part, was signed on August 7 and aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. In a post on X, the premier condemned attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, noting that the attacks had resulted in civilian casualties.

He also commended the “vigilance and professionalism” of the Saudi armed forces and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen for intercepting ballistic missiles. “In line with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, and recent decisions taken by its Strategic Political and Defence Committee, our commitment to the Kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security is resolute,” he wrote on X, adding that Pakistan fully supports Saudi Arabia’s right to self-defence.

He called on the Houthis to immediately cease attacks. “We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia in the face of these threats.” On Thursday, the Houthis claimed that they had struck the Saudi capital’s main international airport with a ballistic missile, in the latest attack on the kingdom claimed by the group.The attacks came after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade on the kingdom and are targeting its ships in the Red Sea. Both sides have claimed strikes on each other as tensions remain high.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)