Pakistan says no military response discussed under Mecca pact over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Pakistan said the alliance is defensive and would respond only if aggression against one member continues, after Houthi strikes injured at least 73 civilians, officials said.
- On Tuesday, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi forces launched missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia, injuring at least 73 civilians and prompting Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif to warn the Makkah Defence Alliance could activate collective defence provisions.
- Signed last month in Makkah, the joint defence accord between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye commits members to treating an attack on one as an attack on all, serving as a deterrent against unprovoked aggression.
- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the Houthis as 'non-state actors', asserting, "There should be no doubt about this. We are bound by the terms and conditions of this pact and, God willing, we will honour them in case there is a need."
- On Monday, the group accused Saudi Arabia of bombing a prison in Al Hazm, killing at least 11 people; the Houthis stated Tuesday's attacks served as retaliation for recent Saudi airstrikes in northwestern Yemen.
- Asif cautioned against widening existing bilateral disputes, expressing hope that diplomatic efforts could prevent further escalation and stressing the alliance does not authorize offensive attacks on its own initiative.
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From the founding of the NATO alliance until the time when Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty was first invoked more than 50 years ago. In the case of the new Pact of Mecca between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, also known as the "NATO of Muslims," it was only 32 days before one of the alliance members was attacked. Now, when the whole world is watching the conflicts that have overtaken maritime trade in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea,…
'A defensive alliance': Pakistan's swift U-turn on Mecca pact after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Pakistan has made U-turn and ruled out the possibility of attacking the Houthis in Yemen in response to their attacks on Saudi Arabia, stating that the 'Mecca Joint Defence Agreement' is a 'defensive alliance' aimed at ensuring regional stability through deterrence.
Pakistan says no military response discussed under Mecca pact over Houthi attacks
Pakistan said on Thursday that there were currently no discussions about a military response under the Mecca agreement following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, while maintaining that it would act under the pact “when the time comes.”
Saudi Arabia, which has been attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels, is also part of a defensive alliance called the Mecca agreement.The defense pact was signed last month with Turkey and Pakistan and stipulates that an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.This raises questions about whether the alliance should responds to Houthi attacks against Saudi cities this week.But a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman said today that the…
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