ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson vowed on Thursday that Islamabad would fulfill the terms of the Makkah defense agreement it has signed with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, clarifying that there were currently no discussions of a military action in response to the recent Houthi attacks targeting cities in Saudi Arabia.

The statement came in response to an attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, struck an air base in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities ‌on Tuesday. The attacks wounded 73 people in one of the biggest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February.

Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye last month. The pact stipulates that an act of aggression against any one of the three nations will be considered an attack on all three. Shortly after the attack, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the defense pact could become operational in the event of aggression against the Kingdom.

In response to a question at a weekly press briefing, foreign office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan dismissed questions about a potential military intervention by Pakistan against the Yemeni insurgents as “hypothetical.”

“That is all a hypothetical situation as of now,” Khan said. “Pakistan has signed a joint defense agreement, which is a fact, and Pakistan will act upon the agreement in terms of its requirements,” he said.

“But as of now, there is no discussion of this kind.”

Khan said Pakistan maintains a long-standing bilateral defense framework with Saudi Arabia, stressing that its troops are already present in the Kingdom. Pakistan deployed thousands of troops, a squadron of fighter jets and ​an air defense system to Saudi Arabia under their mutual defense pact in May this year, as tensions between the US and Iran surged.

“We have some forces already there for training purposes and for other logistical purposes also,” Khan noted.

Khan reiterated that the defense pact involving Ankara, Islamabad, and Riyadh is an overarching collective security architecture centered on regional deterrence.

“When such multilateral organizations are formed, it takes a little while to establish operational details,” the spokesperson explained. “This is an umbrella agreement, and under this, we will establish subsequent mechanisms. At this stage, it is premature to discuss specific military protocols.”

A recent report in Reuters stated that Pakistan delivered a warning to Iran, urging Tehran to rein in its Houthi allies after the attacks against the Kingdom. Khan rejected the report, describing the narrative as “unsubstantiated.”

“Time and again, it has been clarified that this is a defensive alliance of countries that feel the security of the region has to be protected through deterrence,” he stated.

He added that while the three capitals maintain continuous high-level consultations through joint committees, expanding the bloc to other regional powers is not currently on the cards until the foundational command structure is fully solidified.