Asif warns Makkah defence pact could become operational after Houthi attacks 

ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has cautioned that the tripartite Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye could become operational if there was a “spillover” of the conflict in Yemen into Riyadh.

The development comes after Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, injuring 73 people.

Meanwhile, the defencepact, signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

On the Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday night, host Shahzeb Khanzada mentioned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and asked Asif whether the strategic pact could be operationalised.

Asif answered in the affirmative, saying there was no “ambiguity” as the pact stipulated that aggression against one party was equivalent to aggression against all.�"DAWN