ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday said the recent defense pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia formalized their longstanding relations, describing it as a step toward peace in the Middle East and South Asia.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the defense pact in Riyadh on Sept. 18, cementing decades-old security ties into a formal agreement. The deal, signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia, stipulated that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both.
The two countries share longstanding ties rooted in faith, mutual respect and strategic cooperation, with Riyadh remaining a key political and economic partner of Islamabad and both sides now expanding collaboration in trade and investment.
Field Marshal Munir said the world has witnessing increased fragility and volatility with a discernible shift toward violence as an instrument for attaining political objectives, referring to various conflicts around the world.
“Our Armed Forces contribute immensely to United Nations Peacekeeping Missions across the globe,” he said at a passing-out parade ceremony at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), according to the Pakistani military’s media wing, ISPR.
“The recent Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a reinforcement and formalization of Pakistan-Saudi brotherhood and a step toward ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East and South Asia.”
Munir’s comments came amid days of cross-border clashes and airstrikes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing dozens of people on both sides. Although the two countries have clashed in the past, the fighting this month is their worst in decades.
The clashes have drawn the attention of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who have mediated and sought to stop the fighting. Qatar is hosting leaders from both countries for talks to end the crisis. US President Donald Trump has also said he can help resolve the conflict.
“For people and Armed Forces of Pakistan, it is a moment of unique pride to reaffirm our faithful commitment to defense of Harmain Shareefain,” Field Marshal Munir said quoting a verse by Allama Iqbal that calls for the unity of Muslims to safeguard the holy sites in the Kingdom.
The statement also came a day after Pakistan’s Foreign Office applauded Saudi Arabia’s stance during the conflict, which it said called for stability and de-escalation in the region.
“Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are longtime close allies and partners who are committed to each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said during his weekly media briefing. “In this context, we are fully confident of each other’s position.”
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent years, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering fighters from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), allowing them to stage cross-border attacks from Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegations, saying it does not permit its territory to be used against other countries.
Sporadic clashes between the two countries began last Saturday night, killing dozens of people on both sides before the two reached a 48-hour truce on Wednesday. The truce ended on Friday and was followed by Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan, which Afghan authorities said killed at least 10 people.
