ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs minister and leaders of major religious parties on Saturday condemned an attempted Houthi drone attack near Makkah, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and pledging support for the defense of the Kingdom and Islam’s two holiest sites.

The leaders were speaking at an “All Parties Conference on the Protection of Haramain Sharifain,” an Arabic term referring to the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah, as escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia put renewed focus on Pakistan’s defense commitments to the Kingdom.

Speaking to Arab News after the conference, Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said Islamabad was prepared to fulfill its commitments under its defense agreement with Saudi Arabia.

“The Government of Pakistan has already made an agreement with the Kingdom ... We are already prepared for this,” he said, adding that Islamabad stood by the commitments made under the pact and its implementation was already taking place.

Saudi Arabia said its air defenses destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthis south of Makkah on Tuesday evening before it could enter the airspace over Islam’s holiest city.

A Saudi-led coalition in the region called the security of Makkah and other holy sites a “red line,” while the Houthis denied attempting to target the city or any other religious sites.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in September 2025, before joining Türkiye in the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement in August this year. The trilateral accord stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three.

Speakers at the conference said the entire Pakistani nation stood behind Saudi Arabia and would fully support the Kingdom in protecting its territory and the sanctity of Islam’s holiest sites.

Yousuf also condemned Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.

“Drone and missile attacks have been recently initiated [against the Kingdom] and we strongly condemn them,” he said. “The government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan will fully support their brotherly country Saudi Arabia and the defense of Harmain Sharifain ..., providing full support for their defense.”

Senator Abdul Karim, who hosted the conference, said the gathering had unanimously condemned the attacks and called for a joint response from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

“The attack that has taken place on Makkah, the attack that has taken place on Saudi Arabia, we strongly condemn it and express solidarity with Saudi Arabia and demand from the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye that they come together and counter these attacks,” he said.

The conference came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have intensified drone and missile attacks on Saudi territory in recent weeks. Pakistan has repeatedly condemned the attacks and pledged support for the Kingdom.

Pakistan military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Arab News this week that Islamabad would go “to any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia, saying Pakistan stood with the Kingdom “both diplomatically and physically.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said Islamabad remains committed to its defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, while noting that its various mechanisms still need time to become fully operational.