ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday Islamabad had warned all parties involved in the US-Iran conflict that Saudi Arabia was a “no-go area” for Pakistan, underscoring the country’s security commitment to the Kingdom under a mutual defense pact signed last year.
Dar’s remarks come amid heightened regional tensions following months of confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States that have raised fears of a broader Middle East conflict involving Gulf states.
“We told the parties involved [in the US-Iran conflict] that, ‘Please, Saudi Arabia is a no-go area for us. That anyone should even cast an evil eye toward it,’” Dar said while addressing the 6th International Paigham-e-Islam Conference in Islamabad.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a strategic mutual defense agreement in September 2025 that formalized decades of military and security cooperation between the two allies. The pact states that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both and strengthened joint deterrence arrangements between Islamabad and Riyadh.
Dar said Pakistan was bound by the agreement to support Saudi Arabia’s security if required. He also noted that Pakistani military personnel, including an air force contingent, were already stationed in the Kingdom.
Pakistan has longstanding defense ties with Saudi Arabia, including military training cooperation, troop deployments and security coordination spanning decades.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also addressed the conference, said Pakistan considered the protection of Saudi Arabia’s holy sites a matter of utmost importance.
“The protection, defense and security of the sacred land of the Two Holy Mosques is extremely important and dearer to us than our lives,” Sharif said.
“The mutual defense agreements between the two brotherly countries affirm this iron resolve of ours.”
Sharif also praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for supporting diplomatic efforts aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
“I would like to pay tribute to my very dear brother, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
“For he played his full role for these peace negotiations. He played a complete role.”
Pakistan has in recent months positioned itself as a mediator in regional diplomacy, hosting direct US-Iran talks in Islamabad in April following decades without formal face-to-face negotiations between the two sides.
