Defence pact binds Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

Khawaja Asif says Houthi issue raised with Iran

NEW YORK:

AAMIR ILYAS RANA

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that aggression against either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia would be treated as aggression against both under their defence agreement, while revealing that Islamabad has also discussed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia with Iran.

In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune in New York, Asif said that responding to attacks by the Houthi militia on Saudi Arabia was the responsibility of all three countries covered by the Makkah Defence Alliance.

"The Makkah defence agreement binds Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in such a way that in the event of any aggression against Saudi Arabia, standing by it becomes an important responsibility for Pakistan," the minister said.

He added that the defence agreement would further strengthen the longstanding relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which extended beyond defence cooperation to encompass religious, historical and fraternal ties.

Asif revealed that Pakistan had raised the issue of non-state actors operating in the region during a meeting with the Iranian president, stressing that such groups needed to be rendered ineffective because their activities were undermining regional peace efforts. "The Iranian leadership has been told that non-state actors should not carry out operations in any country," he added.

He said the Iranian president had responded positively and agreed that tensions and instability in the region would ultimately harm the people of all sides. He added that Iranian leaders had indicated that they would engage with the Houthis, although practical progress would depend on subsequent steps.

Asked about the need to activate the Makkah agreement in practical terms, Asif said the pact represented a strong bond between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. "Besides the religious ties, the two countries now have a defence agreement under which Pakistan will stand by Saudi Arabia in the event of aggression," he said.

On the country's domestic political situation, Khawaja Asif said the government had tried to pursue negotiations with the PTI and had also offered talks, but the opposition party had chosen the path of protest and confrontation.

"Even a PTI leader spoke about turning Islamabad into 'Somnath'," he said. "The government does not want political tensions at a time when the country is going through a phase of economic recovery," the minister stated, warning that political tensions and protest activities could affect the recovery process.

Speaking about the law and order situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the minister criticised the provincial government, saying federal institutions were playing their role in the fight against terrorism, but the basic responsibility for maintaining law and order rested with the provincial government.

"If the provincial government effectively fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities, it could help control terrorism in the province," Asif said.

However, he alleged that the K-P government wanted to take powers away from the police. Asif said that through amendments to laws, the provincial government wanted the police force to remain under its control, which would make the maintenance of law and order difficult.