New Delhi, Sep 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) Pakistan’s defence commitments to Saudi Arabia could increasingly draw the country into the widening Middle East conflict, placing pressure on army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir as tensions between Riyadh and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen intensify, according to a report.
The defence pact initially appeared to be a strategic gain for Pakistan, with Munir present in Riyadh last September for the signing of the agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Guardian reported.
Under the arrangement, Saudi Arabia would provide Pakistan with billions of dollars in investments and loans, while Pakistan would train Saudi forces and defend the kingdom in the event of an attack.
The report said analysts believed Pakistan had assumed that relations between the US and Iran would improve and that the possibility of a conflict spreading across the Middle East and Gulf remained limited. However, the situation changed after the US and Israel began bombing Iran, followed by Iranian missile attacks on Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia.
The conflict subsequently reignited Saudi Arabia’s confrontation with the Houthis, the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen. According to The Guardian report, the fragile Saudi-Houthi truce collapsed after the Houthis made territorial gains in Yemen and launched strikes and drones against Saudi territory. Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on Yemen, prompting concerns that a full-scale conflict could return.
The pressure on Pakistan increased further in August when the Saudi defence pact was expanded to include Turkey and renamed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The three countries agreed that an armed attack on any one of them would be treated as an attack on all three.
The report quoted defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa as saying: "I don’t think Asim Munir properly calculated the threats the region was facing - and that Pakistan might need to put its troops on the line quite so soon."
Saudi Arabia has substantial military hardware, including fighter jets and other war machinery, but, the report noted, it lacks direct warfare experience against the Houthis. Pakistan’s military could therefore be valuable to Riyadh, particularly because its forces have extensive experience dealing with security threats.
Analysts cited by The Guardian said that if Saudi Arabia activated the Mecca pact against the Houthis, Pakistan could face pressure to deploy troops, including thousands of personnel already stationed in Saudi Arabia for training.
The report also highlighted Pakistan’s economic dependence on Saudi Arabia, which has recently provided Islamabad with $8bn (£6bn) in funds and investments.
At the same time, officials in Pakistan are reportedly concerned about being pulled into the wider conflict. Pakistan shares a border with Iran and has its own security challenges, including militancy and instability along its borders.
The report said any direct Pakistani involvement against the Houthis could also be perceived as Islamabad taking a clear position against Iran, potentially creating further regional and domestic complications.
Raja Nasir Abbas, an opposition leader in Pakistan’s Senate, warned: “It will be a disaster for the country if Pakistan jumps into war.” He added that Pakistan was already facing “two lethal insurgencies”, while its economy was struggling and inflation had risen.
The wider Middle East conflict has continued to spread across the region, with the war involving Iran. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have emerged as another major front, with attacks also threatening energy infrastructure and regional shipping.
The latest escalation has also brought Mecca into the crisis. Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the holy city’s prohibited airspace.
Source: IANS
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz
This website uses cookies.
