Islamabad, 27 October (H.S.):

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has vowed that his country will defend Saudi Arabia with “full force”, asserting that safeguarding the kingdom’s security is as important to Islamabad as defending its own territory.

Asif made the remarks during an appearance on Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, while discussing regional diplomatic efforts involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkiye amid tensions linked to the Houthis.

According to a report by The News, the Defence Minister said, “It is our duty to defend Saudi Arabia.” Earlier, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, had met senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in Tehran. The four countries agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengthening regional cooperation.

Referring to attacks on Saudi Arabia, Asif reiterated, “We will defend Saudi Arabia with full force.”

He said Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia extended beyond formal agreements and that Islamabad would provide Riyadh with its full support. “Just as the defence of Pakistan is paramount, the defence of Saudi Arabia is equally important to us,” he said.

The Defence Minister also referred to an agreement under which three countries had agreed to respond to any external attack. “God willing, now that three countries are involved and an agreement is in place, we will defend one another’s territories against any external attack,” he said, responding to a question about the meeting in Tehran.

Asif said the United States had likely figured in the discussions. He added that he believed some progress had been made and expressed hope that peace could be achieved through Iran’s efforts and the involvement of other countries.

He also referred to repeated attacks targeting Riyadh airport and an alleged attempt to attack the Haramain Sharifain, the two holy sites in Mecca and Medina, describing such actions as “extremely unfortunate”.

“I believe we have reached an outcome that could meet the conditions required to bring this war to an end,” Asif said.

However, he acknowledged that he was not yet “fully confident” about the eventual outcome. He expressed hope that statements from Iran and other countries involved in the negotiations would provide greater clarity on the situation.

Asif further said Pakistan’s diplomatic initiative was producing “positive results”. He added that there were indications of progress towards easing tensions involving the United States and establishing a peaceful situation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar