Pakistan appears to have taken a step back from its strong warning to the Houthis a day earlier, with Islamabad on Thursday saying that no military response under the newly signed Mecca defence pact is currently being discussed. The comments came despite its defence minister warning that the agreement could become operational if the Yemen conflict spilled into Saudi Arabia.“There is no such thing under discussion right now … When time comes (we) will act under the agreement,” Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on Thursday, referring to the pact signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye last month.The apparent shift comes a day after defence minister Khawaja Asif warned that the pact could become operational if the Yemen conflict spilled into Saudi Arabia. He said Pakistan was “bound by the terms and conditions of this pact” and would honour its commitments if required.Asif had also warned the Houthis that if they tried to extend the Yemen conflict into Saudi Arabia, “the clauses of this pact over confronting aggression will become operative”. At the same time, he stressed that the agreement was defensive and did not authorise the three countries to independently launch offensive operations against another country.The latest clarification comes as Houthi attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure have intensified.The Mecca joint defence agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 in Mecca to strengthen collective deterrence and defence cooperation. Under the agreement, “any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all.” The pact also calls for enhanced defence cooperation among the three countries.No plans to expand Mecca pactPakistan also ruled out any immediate expansion of the Mecca defence alliance, with foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan saying “there are no plans to expand the Mecca alliance.”The clarification comes after earlier discussions about potentially bringing other countries into the arrangement. Pakistan’s foreign ministry had previously said that any country seeking to join would be considered in consultation with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, but that there were no formal applications or new names at that stage.
