DG ISPR says support for KSA unconditional
Confirms physical presence in holy land
FO reaffirms commitment to de
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. SCREENGRAB
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan will go “to any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia against attack, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Arab News on Thursday.
Lt Gen Chaudhry reiterated Pakistan’s “unconditional” commitment to Saudi Arabia, saying the country would go to any extent required for the security of the Haramain Sharifain and the Kingdom.
He said Pakistan fully stood with Saudi Arabiaboth diplomatically and physically.
“We will go to any extent for the security of Haramain Sharifain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To any extent as asked and required by our Saudi brothers,” he said.
Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to the Kingdom, he said the people of Pakistan stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their Saudi brothers and sisters.
“There should be no doubt about that. So, in a nutshell, we are there and we will continue to defend Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any aggression,” he said.
Highlighting the diplomatic efforts of the country’s leadership, Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan, with the help of other regional countries and partners, was working to find a peaceful and negotiated outcome to the complex situation.
He said the political and military leadership remained in continuous contact and engagement with the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to the Kingdom under the Makkah Defence Agreement and the mutual defence pact between the two countries, he said Islamabad not only remained committed but was already there for the protection of the Haramain Sharifain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“We are there to protect them and we will to any extent further as and as required by the Saudi leadership and the people of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
He said Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi security was unconditional and stemmed from an emotive, deep-rooted historical and unbreakable bond between the people of Pakistan and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as between the political and military leaderships of the two countries.
“Nothing stops us, nothing bars us, nothing is there which hesitates our commitment from going, so whatever is required, whatever is asked, we will go to any extent to that,” he said.
Asked whether his statement that Pakistan was “there” meant that the country was physically present in Saudi Arabia at present, Lt Gen Chaudhry said: “I think the words express themselves fully once we say that we are there.”
Foreign Office
Pakistan said it remained committed in spirit to the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Asked whether any mechanism had been devised for Pakistan to respond to attacks against Saudi Arabia under the Makkah agreement, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan remained committed, “in intent and spirit”, to implementing both the agreements.
However, he said decisions concerning the use of force remained an operational matter.
“When, how, where, and what force will be used against which objectives, in which modes, and other matters involving operational confidentiality require us to maintain some discretion at this stage,” Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said at his weekly news briefing.
The spokesperson reiterated that the Makkah agreement was defensive in nature, was not directed against any country and did not constitute a new bloc. He said it was intended to strengthen existing defence cooperation, including training, capacity-building, defence technology and research, as well as collective deterrence against acts aimed at destabilising regional security.
Pakistan has meanwhile been pursuing diplomatic efforts to prevent the Gulf crisis from widening.
Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke by telephone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, urging Tehran to use its influence with the Houthis to halt attacks against Saudi energy and economic infrastructure.
Islamabad has also repeatedly called for restraint and diplomacy, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on September 13 and reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for de-escalation.
Asked about the Turkish and Qatari visits, Foreign Office spokesperson said Islamabad was aware of the reports but was not aware of the precise background.
He acknowledged that both Türkiye and Qatar had previously played “a very constructive role” in mediation efforts between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistan, he said, had engaged Afghanistan through Qatar and Türkiye, while China had also brought the three sides together through the Urumqi process.
But Islamabad remains focused on securing an assurance from Kabul that terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory will not carry out attacks against Pakistan.
“The action now rests on the other side,” Sajjad said, adding that Pakistan remained prepared to resolve its differences with Afghanistan through dialogue and diplomacy.
He said Pakistan wanted an Afghanistan that was peaceful internally as well as with its neighbours, but stressed that progress depended on Kabul addressing Pakistan’s security concerns.
The spokesperson said that it was ready to reopen border crossings, restore transit trade, and utilise Afghanistan as a regional connectivity hub, provided Kabul takes decisive and verifiable action against anti-Pakistan militant groups.
“If they cooperate on terrorism, there is no reason for Pakistan to continue with this process. We are ready to open our borders, do trade, use Afghanistan as a connecting hub, and the entire region can actually benefit from a peaceful region. Our policy has been a peaceful Afghanistan which is peaceful within as well as peaceful with neighbouring countries,” he said.
Referring to last year’s visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar to Afghanistan, he said Pakistan offered many concessions on transit trade, reduced tariffs, and asked them to stop terrorism emanating from their side.
“Unfortunately, the action now rests on the other side,” he said, recalling that Pakistan had also used the medium of friendly countries like Qatar, Turkiye, and China, though the efforts could not come to fruition due to non-cooperation from the Afghan side.
The spokesperson said that not only Pakistan, but China also had similar observations about terrorist activities taking place, and Central Asian countries were also unhappy over the security situation in Afghanistan.
He said China, Qatar, and Turkey played a very constructive role in terms of mediation, as Pakistan engaged twice with Kabul last year in Qatar and Istanbul, but the Afghan reaction had been negative, and they refused to give assurances of stopping terrorism from Afghan soil.
“Pakistan is keen to resolve all our issues through peaceful means, of course, through dialogue and diplomacy. We have clearly mentioned our red line, and now it is for Afghanistan to see how it can stop terrorism, because you cannot continuously allow terrorists to flow from one side and then expect a different outcome from Pakistan’s side.”
He told the media that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would lead Pakistan’s delegation to the high-level segment of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, accompanied by DPM Ishaq Dar and other federal ministers. There, he would highlight Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global developments, outline priorities on counter-terrorism and Islamophobia, and draw attention to the situations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine.
During the visit, he will participate in high-level events and hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and the UN Secretary-General, highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism, the UN Charter, regional peace, and international cooperation.
The spokesperson rejected India’s objections to the 1963 Boundary Agreement and Joint Commission, calling Kashmir a disputed UN-resolved territory and urging India to rescind its Aug 5, 2019, decisions.
“India’s claims regarding Jammu and Kashmir are equally untenable, as Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed territory whose final disposition is to be determined in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, through a UN-led, UN-sponsored plebiscite,” he said, urging India to carry out its own introspection, especially regarding its illegal and unilateral decisions.
He said Pakistan summoned the Indian Chargé d’Affaires over an aggressive manoeuvre and contact by an Indian naval ship in Pakistan’s EEZ on Sept 15, violating bilateral and international norms, and that a demarche would be issued by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs later in the day.
He highlighted that this year Pakistan issued over 2,800 visas to Indian pilgrims for Vaisakhi alone in April, over 700 for Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom day, and 438 for the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in June, and that Pakistan was also ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims for the upcoming Vaisakhi festival.
He told the media that the Indian Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad participated in and represented India at the SCO-RATS council meeting held earlier this week, and expressed the hope that Indian participation in SCO would continue as Pakistan is going to host the SCO Heads of State summit next year.
He said that Pakistan’s partnership with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in the area of security and defence was well recognised, and the Makkah pact formalised and further strengthened many aspects of ongoing cooperation and existing long-standing bilateral cooperation among these three countries.
“The agreement is purely for defensive purposes; it is neither directed against any country nor formally constitutes a new bloc,” the spokesperson explained.
