Pakistan on Thursday said it remained committed “in intent and spirit” to implementing the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia and the trilateral Makkah Defence Alliance.
Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the statement during his weekly briefing.
The statement comes amid renewed tensions in the Middle East, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels carrying out attacks in Saudi Arabia in recent days.
A day earlier, a Saudi-led coalition battling Houthis accused the rebels of targeting the holy city of Makkah, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region. However, the Houthis swiftly rejected Riyadh’s report as a “lie” that it shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards Makkah.
In response to a question on whether “any mechanism had been devised as to how Pakistan will ensure that recent Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia are thwarted,” the spokesperson said that Pakistan was committed to “implementing” the SDMA and the Makkah pact.
“However, when, how, where and what force will be used against what objectives, in which modes and matters [..] — operational confidentiality requires us to be discreet at this stage,” he added.
Asked about the diplomatic efforts undertaken by Pakistan to “de-escalate and defuse” the Houthi issue, the spokesperson said, “Pakistan has for a long time [..] shared the perspective that we would like to have peace and stability because this is not only in the interest of Pakistan and Iran, but also the entire region and beyond.”
Khan termed the situation in Bab al-Mandeb “exceptionally serious” and went on to call on the Houthis to “stop their activities”.
“In this regard, our discussions basically revolve around bringing peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy and not through coercive measures,” he added.
PM Shehbaz to head to US next week for UNGA
In his press briefing, the spokesperson also confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be leading Pakistan’s delegation at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next week.
Khan said that the premier will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and several federal ministers.
FO said that in his address at UNGA, PM Shehbaz will “highlight Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global developments, reaffirming the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and restraint and peaceful resolution of issues”.
He said the premier is also expected to outline Pakistan’s priorities on sustainable development, climate change, counter-terrorism, Islamophobia, global economic challenges, UN reforms and issues concerning the Global South.
He will also draw attention to the situation in India-occupied Kashmir and Palestine, the FO spokesperson said.
He added that on the sidelines, PM Shehbaz is scheduled to participate in high-level events and hold bilateral engagements with world leaders and the UN secretary general, where he will highlight “Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism, the UN Charter, regional peace and international cooperation”.
‘Malicious media campaign’ against Pakistan on Sikh pilgrims
The spokesperson was also asked about media reports regarding Pakistani Sikh pilgrims who were stopped at Faisalabad International Airport while travelling to India to perform religious rituals at Gurdwara Sri Hemkund Sahib.
In response, he termed it a “malicious media campaign” on India’s part and clarified, “It was reported that the pilgrims were not allowed to board the plane, which is not correct.”
“We were not aware that the Indian High Commission had issued these visas, and the visas were not covered under the 1974 bilateral protocol that exists between Pakistan and India,” he said, explaining that protocol’s objective was to facilitate visits to shrines between both countries.
Khan said the visas were issued “independently of any coordination”.
Noting India’s “exceptionally restrictive visa regime,” the spokesperson said Pakistan was committed to “extending a warm welcome to Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan, including from India”.
He also cited the number of visas issued to Sikh pilgrims over various religious occasions, stating that the “numbers speak for themselves”.
He noted that Indian Sikh pilgrims had been barred by their country from travelling to Pakistan in 2025. Khan also maintained that Pakistan was ready to welcome Sikh pilgrims through the Kartarpur corridor “as and when India allows them because it has been closed from the Indian side and not Pakistan”.
Khan was also asked about India’s participation at the 12th meeting of the Heads of Border Services of the Competent Authorities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
In this regard, the spokesperson confirmed that India’s chargé d’affaires was present at the summit.
“Participation is there, and we hope that participation will continue because the broader objective is peace and security and fighting terrorism, and it is a common challenge for both countries.”
On being asked about India’s response to Pakistan and China operationalising a joint mechanism for managing their common border, the FO spokesperson rejected India’s “baseless and illegally untenable assertions” on the development and the Joint Boundary Demarcation Commission.
The Joint Boundary Demarcation Commission was established under the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of March 2, 1963.
According to India’s NDTV, the country’s external affairs ministry had called into question the legality of the commission.
“China is not only our neighbour but an all-weather strategic corporate partner. Our ironclad ties have withstood the test of time,” he said.
He stressed that the 1963 agreement was “valid”. Khan said that it was a “mockery of international law that India spoke of legality in an attempt to challenge the validity of the border commission”.
At this, he said the country should first “carry out its own introspection” over actions in India-occupied Kashmir “instead of advancing fictitious territorial claims”.
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