NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan will respond to any aggression against Saudi Arabia, describing recent attempted attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia to target the Kingdom as a matter of grave concern and calling for an immediate end to the attacks.
In an interview with WE News English at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Defence Minister Asif said Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, as well as the sanctity of the holy sites, were “very close to our heart”.
He described the Houthis as a group that does not represent any country and operates as a terrorist group against Saudi Arabia.
“We will definitely respond to any aggression against Saudi Arabia, whether it is coming from a ragtag group like the Houthis who do not represent any country, but they are operating as a terrorist group against Saudi Arabia. And obviously, there is a civil war going on in Yemen also,” the defence minister said.
“Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia are definitely of grave concern for Pakistan. And this is something which should come to an end immediately,” Asif said.
Makkah Defence Alliance for Peace
Defence Minister Asif also discussed the recently formed Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. He said that it is an alliance aimed at maintaining peace rather than initiating aggression.
“The Makkah Defence Alliance is basically for peace,” he said. “It’s not an alliance for any aggression or any designs which are directed against anyone.”
Defence Minister Asif said the alliance would provide a unified response if any member came under aggression.
“If there is any aggression against any country of the alliance, obviously, the alliance will respond, will give a unified response to that. But this is not there to initiate any aggression or anything of the sort,” the defence minister said.
The defence minister said expanding the alliance to include other countries in the region could be considered at a later stage. However, he stressed that the issue was not currently under discussion or on the agenda.
He said the immediate priority was to establish the alliance’s secretariat and put its institutional structure in place.
“I must stress again that it is a defence alliance with absolutely no aggressive designs,” Asif said.
Terrorism from Afghanistan
To a question about terrorism in Pakistan, Defence Minister Asif said terrorist attacks emanating from Afghanistan were a major issue for Islamabad and would feature prominently in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly tomorrow.
The defence minister said Pakistan had faced terrorism for many years but had recently witnessed an acceleration in terrorist activity and unrest, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
He said terrorism originating from Afghanistan, as well as India’s role in supporting terrorism in Pakistan, would be highlighted by the prime minister at the United Nations.
“Pakistan is a target of terrorism for last many, many years. But recently, there has been an acceleration in terrorism and all sorts of unrest which is mainly concentrated in our northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Balochistan. And India and Afghanistan’s role in this is definitely; we will highlight that,” Asif said.
“We are already highlighting these two countries while blaming terrorism,” Asif said, referring to Afghanistan and India.
The defence minister said that terrorist activity in Pakistan involved support from India and elements operating from Afghan territory.
Asif said the issue was “very, very high” on the government’s agenda and would be a central theme of the prime minister’s UN address.
Islamabad MoU to End US-Iran War
Asked about the future of the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran, Asif said contacts were continuing to revive and implement the understanding.
“The contacts are being made these days, in the last couple of days and today and tomorrow,” he said. “I think this process is already on track for this MoU to be made effective.”
The defence minister said developments over the past one and a half months had rendered the arrangement “a bit ineffective”, but stressed that the understanding remained important for regional peace.
He said the Islamabad MoU needed to be reinforced and put into practice to help prevent further escalation in the region.
“For peace in our region, this MoU has to be effective, rather reinforced and put in practice,” Asif said, adding that this was necessary to prevent further expansion of hostilities.
He referred to ongoing conflicts and tensions involving Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Iran, saying further escalation could lead to a wider regional war.
