(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity” amid a recent escalation in Houthi attacks.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier made the remarks during a meeting with newly appointed Saudi Ambassador Dr Rajeh Tami Albugamy. He welcomed the envoy to Pakistan and congratulated him on assuming his new responsibilities.
Ambassador Albugamy, assumed his diplomatic responsibilities in Islamabad on Thursday, reaffirming the commitment to strengthening the strategic and fraternal ties between the two countries.
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations had made significant progress in recent years and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across various sectors.
He “strongly condemned” the recent escalation in Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, which had resulted in deaths and injuries, including among Pakistani nationals, the statement said.
The prime minister also said the two countries had always stood by each other, adding that the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance marked “historic milestones” in their longstanding fraternal relations and reflected their shared commitment to regional peace and security.
PM Shehbaz also thanked the Saudi leadership for its longstanding economic and financial support to Pakistan and assured the ambassador of Pakistan’s full support and cooperation in further strengthening bilateral ties.
Ambassador Albugamy also met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, where the latter underscored longstanding fraternal and strategic ties between Islamabad and Riyadh, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
He also reaffirmed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s “shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation for mutual progress and prosperity”.
The FO added that the new Saudi envoy conveyed greetings from the kingdom’s leadership to Pakistan, with Dar reciprocating and conveying his best wishes to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Saudi leaders.
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had targeted facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco, after Saudi officials reported a strike on a building in Riyadh housing the energy giant’s operations centre.
Powerful explosions also rattled the Saudi capital, as the coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted a missile fired by the group towards Riyadh.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, targeting fuel and energy facilities it said were being used to support missile and drone attacks, as the Yemeni group threatened a “harsh and painful” response against Saudi airports, refineries and oil installations.
Hours later, Saudi authorities issued warnings of potential hostile aerial threats in the kingdom’s eastern province and Riyadh.
Loud explosions were heard near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, according to witnesses. Later, a Saudi energy ministry official confirmed the attack. Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency said that four people — two women, a man and a child — were wounded by debris from two intercepted Houthi cruise missiles in the capital and that 15 homes were damaged.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers after a truce in their long-running war with Yemen’s coalition government unravelled in July.
Against this backdrop, Pakistan has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia. On October 5, in an emergency meeting of the Makkah pact in Riyadh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye agreed to the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was part of Pakistan’s delegation in the meeting, maintained that Pakistan and Turkiye had “presence in theatre” and only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations.
On September 18, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan would go to “any extent” to defend the Gulf state, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security is “unconditional”.
Asif has also reaffirmed that Pakistan will “practically and diplomatically” stand by Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels if the situation escalates. The defence minister said that Pakistan would fulfil all its obligations under the Makkah Defence Alliance in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the three countries.
At the same time, Pakistan has also asserted that the alliance is intended for collective deterrence and is defensive in nature.
