Pakistan will come to the aid of Saudi Arabia whenever needed, the spokesperson for the country’s Prime Minister said, as Iran retaliates against US-Israeli strikes by hitting Gulf nations.
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan, which shares a border with Iran, signed a defense pact in September last year, elevating their long-standing security partnership, which is being tested by the Middle East crisis.
Mosharraf Zaidi said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday that there was “no question we might, “we will come to Saudi Arabia’s aid no matter what and no matter when.”
“Both countries, even before the defence agreement, have always operated on the principle of being there for the other,” he said.
“The real question is what is Pakistan doing to make sure things don’t come to a point where any of its closest partners are further embroiled in a conflict that could potentially undermine stability and prosperity in the region,” he added.
Zaidi also said Saudi Arabia has arranged support for Pakistan’s supply of oil and diesel since the conflict began, as a global fuel crunch hits the import-dependent country particularly hard.
Meanwhile, Tehran has continued missile strikes on Gulf states in the week-long conflict with the United States and Israel, a major confrontation with global repercussions.
Saudi Arabia said Saturday that it intercepted drones heading toward a major oil field, the latest energy facility targeted in the fighting that has pushed up crude and natural gas prices.
Over the weekend, Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, visited Saudi Arabia to meet Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. The two discussed joint measures to counter Iranian drone and missile strikes on the kingdom, marking the first real test of the defence pact between the two nations.
Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, has also been in frequent contact with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, since the conflict erupted, Zaidi said.
“Those conversations as well as other conversations are the reason, for example, that you’ve seen some of the conciliatory efforts that Iran has made towards the Gulf countries”, he said.
