The Pakistan Army's media wing says Pakistan would evaluate any formal request for military support from Yemen's internationally recognised government. Speaking to Independent Arabia on Sunday, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that, to his knowledge, no such request has been made. He added that if one arrived, it would be for the government of Pakistan to decide how to respond. Nothing in his remarks points to Pakistani troops operating in Yemen.
Escalating fighting in the region
The remarks come as fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis has escalated in recent weeks. The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, have in recent days attacked Riyadh's international airport, Makkah and Madina. Their advances also threaten the Bab el-Mandeb oil shipping route after a truce collapsed.
Reports describe the fighting as another front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran.
The Makkah pact and Pakistan's position
Lt Gen Chaudhry linked any Pakistani response to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), which Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed on August 7 at the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence. Under the pact, an armed attack on any one of the three is treated as an attack on all three. He said its collective deterrence would come into play if negotiations failed and a military conflict followed.
He said Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and territorial integrity are a foremost priority for Pakistan, and that protecting Islam's two holiest sites is equally important. According to him, the Houthi attacks on those sites had caused deep grief and anger among the public and the political and military leadership. He also said the MJDA had no aggressive intent and was not aimed at any particular country.
Lt Gen Chaudhry warned that escalating military tensions would benefit no country. He urged a negotiated settlement, unity among Muslim states, and talks rather than military escalation to resolve disputes.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- August 7: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement at the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence.
- In recent weeks: fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis escalated.
- In recent days: the Houthis attacked Riyadh's international airport, Makkah and Madina.
- Sunday: the ISPR Director General told Independent Arabia that Pakistan may evaluate any formal request for military support from Yemen's government.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan Army ke ISPR chief ne kaha hai ke Yemen ki hukumat agar rasmi taur par faujī madad maange to Pakistan us par ghor karega. Unke ilm mein abhi tak koi rasmi darkhast nahi hai. Saudi Arabia par Houthi hamlon ki wajah se Makkah defence pact bhi zer-e-bahas aaya hai. Aam Pakistani ke liye fori tor par koi tabdeeli nahi, lekin Middle East ka tanao barhta raha to iska asar mehsoos ho sakta hai.
