By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has reaffirmed its “unwavering support” for Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks on the kingdom, while saying it would act according to the terms of a newly signed trilateral defense agreement if required, although no military action against the Houthis is currently under discussion.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan strongly condemned Houthi attacks targeting civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran.

“Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and prosperity,” Khan said at his first weekly press briefing as foreign ministry spokesperson. He added that Pakistan stood in “full solidarity” with the Saudi leadership, government and people.

Asked whether Islamabad would activate the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement following the attacks, Khan said Pakistan would fulfill its obligations under the agreement, but stressed that there was currently no discussion of military action.

“It is all a hypothetical situation as of now,” he said. “Pakistan has signed the Joint Defence Agreement, which is a fact. Pakistan will act upon this agreement in terms of its stipulations.”

Khan described the agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye as a defensive alliance intended to strengthen regional security through deterrence. He said the three countries were consulting regularly but that expansion of the alliance was not currently being considered.

He also said Pakistan would continue pursuing diplomacy to promote peace in Yemen and the wider region.

- Afghanistan remains key regional challenge

On Afghanistan, Khan said Pakistan wanted peaceful and friendly relations with its western neighbor but accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of failing to address militant activity originating from Afghan territory.

“Pakistan wishes to see a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, and we would like to have good, friendly relations with Afghanistan,” he said.

The spokesperson said the central obstacle was terrorism, arguing that Afghanistan needed to prevent militants from using its territory to conduct attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan, he said, was “not asking much” and wanted the two neighboring countries to coexist peacefully.

On major regional infrastructure projects, Khan said Pakistan was taking a broader view of its economic links with Central Asia despite tensions with Afghanistan. He specifically addressed CASA-1000, the Trans-Afghan Railway and the TAPI gas pipeline, all of which depend to varying degrees on regional connectivity involving Afghanistan.

He said such projects had been planned decades ago and that Pakistan was not looking at them in isolation.

Afghanistan, he added, “is not an enemy state for Pakistan,” but the current Taliban administration needed to understand Islamabad’s security concerns.

“As long as these terrorist activities go down, we hope that normal relations can be built and prospered once again,” Khan said.

Regarding the border, he rejected the need for fresh demarcation, saying Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan was already established, fenced and guarded, with designated gates for legal crossings.

- No blanket ban on Afghan students

Khan also rejected reports that Pakistan had decided to expel all Afghan students.

He said Afghan students enrolled in valid degree programs and holding valid visas could remain in Pakistan until completing their education.

Only students without valid visas or university registration would be required to return, he said, stressing that this was consistent with international practice.

- Pakistan accuses India of backing militancy

Khan strongly criticized India, accusing New Delhi of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He said Pakistan had suffered more than $150 billion in economic losses and more than 80,000 deaths during its long campaign against terrorism following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

He accused India of maintaining a network involved in militant activities in Pakistan and cited the case of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who Pakistan says was involved in espionage and terrorism.

India has repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s accusations.

The spokesperson also condemned what Pakistan described as the demolition of historic Muslim religious sites in India, including a century-old mosque in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Khan separately criticized Indian policies in Jammu and Kashmir, saying India’s unilateral actions could not change the territory’s internationally disputed status.

He also expressed support for detained Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, whose deteriorating health and ongoing legal proceedings Pakistan said were cause for international concern.

- CASA-1000 and Central Asian connectivity

Pakistan’s relations with Kyrgyzstan were also highlighted during the briefing following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Bishkek on Sept. 2.

The two countries signed 17 agreements and memorandums covering areas including energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, tourism and the digital economy.

They also reaffirmed support for CASA-1000, the electricity transmission project designed to move surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Khan said Pakistan remained committed to connectivity linking South Asia with Central and East Asia, despite the security challenges surrounding Afghanistan.

- Pakistan rejects military escalation over Yemen

On reports that Pakistan had warned Iran against allowing the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia, Khan declined to comment on what he called an “unsubstantiated” report.

He also rejected speculation that Pakistan had already decided to conduct military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Pakistan, he said, remained committed to dialogue and diplomacy.

Regarding possible US sanctions affecting trade with Iran, Khan said Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry was assessing the potential impact. He noted that bilateral trade with Iran was relatively limited and said Islamabad would decide its future course according to national interests.

On Iran’s nuclear issue, Khan said Pakistan supported the right of countries that are parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to maintain civilian nuclear facilities, while declining to comment in detail on a recent International Atomic Energy Agency resolution concerning Iran.

- Pakistan to host South Asian Games

Pakistan will host the South Asian Games from April 4 to 11, 2027, with events planned in Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Khan said invitations had been issued through the South Asian Olympic Committee rather than the Foreign Office and stressed that sports should not be “weaponized.”

He said the Games should proceed even if some countries ultimately decide not to participate.

- Pakistan balances ties with US, China and Russia

Asked about intensifying rivalry among Washington, Beijing and Moscow, Khan said Pakistan wanted to maintain positive relations with all three powers and did not intend to become part of geopolitical competition.

He described China as a longstanding anchor of Pakistan’s foreign policy, while saying Islamabad also had “excellent relations” with the United States and was expanding ties with Russia.

“We would not like to be part of any geopolitical contestation,” Khan said.

Pakistan, he added, wanted to build bridges based on goodwill, trust and mutual interests rather than view its relationship with one country through the prism of another.