Pakistan Backs Saudi Arabia’s Right to Self-Defence at Emergency UNSC Meeting

New York (GNP): Pakistan called an emergency United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Yemen that Saudi Arabia has every right to defend itself against Houthi attacks, even as Islamabad’s Foreign Office confirmed on the same day that no military response under the Makkah defence pact was currently under discussion.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, addressed the Council on Thursday, describing the situation in Yemen as having entered a deeply alarming and dangerous phase. Ahmad, who was named Pakistan’s next foreign secretary this week, said Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

He condemned the Houthi strikes as a flagrant violation of sovereignty and reiterated Islamabad’s position that it fully supports the Kingdom’s legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend its territory, protect its citizens and residents, and safeguard its national assets against any threat.

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, cautioned the Council that the war’s consequences will not remain confined within Yemen’s borders, underscoring growing international concern over the conflict’s regional spillover.

In Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told the weekly press briefing that a military response under the Makkah pact is not being discussed for now, adding that more time is needed to implement the agreement and noting that Pakistani forces are currently in Saudi Arabia for training purposes.

His remarks came two days after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in an interview that the pact would become operational if the Yemen war spilled over into Saudi Arabia, stressing that Pakistan is bound by the pact’s terms and conditions.

The Makkah agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7, establishing that an attack on any one of the three signatories is considered an attack on all. The pact followed the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh in September 2025, forming the backdrop against which Islamabad’s current diplomatic position is being closely watched.

The UNSC session followed a sharp escalation on the ground. The Houthis launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran on September 8, with coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki reporting that 73 civilians were wounded, including women and children.

The Houthis said the attacks were in response to more than 120 Saudi air strikes on Yemen carried out in the preceding three days. On Thursday, Houthi fighters captured the Red Sea port of Mokha, near the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab Strait, while Saudi forces conducted around 40 air strikes on Taiz, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Marib the same day.

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The conflict in Yemen traces back to 2014, when the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah and backed by Iran, seized the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015 after the group ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, prompting Riyadh to request warships, fighter jets and ground troops from Pakistan at a time when neither the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement nor the Makkah pact existed.

The request sparked intense debate within Pakistan, culminating in a unanimous parliamentary resolution on April 10, 2015, calling for neutrality so Islamabad could play a proactive diplomatic role in resolving the crisis. The resolution, presented by then finance minister Ishaq Dar, nonetheless pledged that Pakistan would stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia should its territorial integrity or holy sites come under threat.

A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 formally expired that October, but Saudi Arabia and the Houthis largely refrained from further attacks on each other, sustaining an informal peace for roughly four years. Tensions resurfaced in July when Yemen’s internationally recognised government struck Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing. The Houthis retaliated with an attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia and announced a blockade of Red Sea shipping on July 20, setting the stage for the current escalation now before the Security Council.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Pakistan fully supports the Kingdom’s legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend its territory and safeguard its national assets.