Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that no stipulation of the Makkah Defence Alliance barred the member states from getting “directly involved” in case of a threat to one of the members.

He said this during ARY News programme ‘Khabar Muhammad Malick Ke Saath’ after he was asked about the possibility of Pakistan sending ground troops to Yemen amid an escalating conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia under the alliance, which comprises Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara.

“To defend one of the member countries, the remaining two would get involved as if they are defending themselves,” he added.

The Makkah defence pact was signed on Aug 7 to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

It has gained relevance amid renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

On Monday, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed to the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in the kingdom during an emergency meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance in Riyadh, which was held to address the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office after the moot said the member states had “decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats”.

Separately, Asif, who was part of Pakistan’s delegation in the meeting, joined Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’ via telephone the same day and said Pakistan and Turkiye had a “presence in theatre”, but only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations.

On Wednesday, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also said Pakistani troops were in Saudi Arabia, adding that they had been in the kingdom “for decades” and across multiple domains.

Earlier, on Sept 18, Lt Gen Chaudhry also said Pakistan would go to “any extent” to defend the Gulf state, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security is “unconditional”.

Asif has also reaffirmed that Pakistan will “practically and diplomatically” stand by Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels if the situation escalates. The defence minister said that Pakistan would fulfil all its obligations under the Makkah Defence Alliance in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the three countries.

At the same time, Pakistan has also asserted that the alliance is intended for collective deterrence and is defensive in nature.

Meanwhile, the information ministry has dismissed a news report claiming that Pakistan Air Force aircraft were being used against Yemen’s Houthis as “fake and fabricated”.

Earlier this week, the ministry also termed a Reuters report claiming the deployment of 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops in Saudi Arabia as “speculative”.