Pakistan’s defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia could be expanded as ties deepen, the military’s spokesperson said, while repeating Islamabad’s pledge to help protect the kingdom and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR)—the army’s public communications wing—Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said growing engagement with Riyadh pointed to positive developments. He linked that assessment to the Field Marshal’s repeated visits to Saudi Arabia. “Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course,” he said when asked whether those trips were a good sign.
Defence pact and possible partners
Asked about widening the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, Chaudhry said Pakistan would welcome states that share its goals of collective deterrence and regional stability. “Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome,” he said.
Any such step, he added, would rest with the political leadership of the three principal parties to the agreement. On whether Pakistan would send more troops to Saudi Arabia under the arrangement, he said that would depend on the situation on the ground and on decisions by the political leadership of both countries.
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s defence, including Harmain Sharifain—the holy sites in Mecca and Medina—in line with existing obligations and the bilateral relationship.
Spoilers, Yemen, and domestic operations
Chaudhry also warned that “powerful spoilers and detractors,” who in his view see conflict as serving their interests, still create difficulties. He did not name the people or groups he meant.
On Yemen, he was direct: Pakistan is not involved. “We are not part of the Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict,” he said.
Turning to security at home and talk of broader military-led campaigns, he said the army’s counterterrorism approach rests on intelligence-based operations—known as IBOs—rather than large-scale offensives. “Our counter-terrorism operations are based on what we call IBOs, intelligence-based operations… The tempo of the freedom of action of (those) IBOs will further increase,” he said.
What officials have signalled next
Taken together, the remarks point to closer Pakistan-Saudi defence cooperation if political leaders agree, continued focus on protecting Saudi Arabia and the holy cities, no Pakistani role in Yemen’s fighting, and a sharper pace of targeted domestic IBOs instead of wider campaigns.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Fauj ke buland-rutba afsar ne kaha ke Pakistan aur Saudi Arabia ka difaai rishta aur mazboot ho sakta hai. Pakistan Saudi Arab aur Makkah-Madina ki hifazat ke liye apni zimmedariyon par qaim hai. Extra fauj bhejne ka faisla dono mulkon ki siyasi leadership karegi, aur Pakistan Yemen ki jang ka hissa nahi. Ghar mein bari military campaign nahi, balkay intelligence-based operations tez ki jayengi.
