Pakistan considers any attack on Saudi Arabia an attack on i

Pakistan considers any attack on Saudi Arabia an attack on itself under its defence agreements, Religious Affairs Minister says. Condemning Houthi strikes on civilian facilities and Umrah pilgrims, political and religious leaders reaffirm solidarity with the Kingdom and urge collective defence. Religious affairs minister condemns Houthi strikes on Saudi civilian infrastructure and Umrah pilgrims Leaders of Pakistani religious parties express solidarity with the Kingdom, describing attacks on holy sites as their red line Owais Noorani calls for a broader Islamic defence bloc to protect Makkah and Madinah ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Tuesday strongly condemned Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia's civilian infrastructure and Umrah pilgrims, declaring that Pakistan considers any attack on the Kingdom an attack on itself under its defence agreements with Riyadh. Yousaf made the remarks at a press conference alongside leaders of religious parties and parliamentarians who gathered to express solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia on Saudi civilian and oil facilities. A Pakistani national was killed and 11 other people were injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday, according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. Expressing Pakistan's solidarity with the Kingdom, Yousaf said Islamabad regarded Saudi Arabia's security and stability as inseparable from its own. 'Any attacks that anyone has launched on Saudi Arabia, we consider them attacks on Pakistan,' the minister said. 'No Muslim can tolerate attacks on Haramain Sharifain (the Two Holy Mosques) and Hejaz-e-Muqaddas (Makkah and Madinah) to weaken the power of Muslims.' The minister said Pakistan was taking practical steps to support Saudi Arabia, adding that the recently signed Makkah defence pact among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was aimed at ensuring collective security through concrete defensive measures. 'Pakistan has also practically proven it (support for Saudi Arabia), and for this, it is taking all kinds of steps and God willing, it will continue to take them,' Yousaf said. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) last year, while Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August. The defence pacts provide for treating an armed attack on one member as an attack on all. Yousaf said Pakistan's political leadership, religious parties and state institutions stood united in supporting the government's position on Saudi Arabia. 'When the time comes, Muslims worldwide, and the people of Pakistan in particular, are fully prepared to sacrifice their lives and wealth to defend the sanctity of the Kingdom,' he said. 'We fully support all steps taken by the government and state of Saudi Arabia to ensure absolute security and peace.' PAKISTANIS UNITED IN SUPPORT FOR KINGDOM Addressing the press conference, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Secretary General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said the government and people of Pakistan were united in their support for the Kingdom. 'On the issue of Saudi Arabia, government and people are on one page and I consider this a very good omen,' Haideri said. 'Saudi Arabia is not merely a country; it is the centre of Muslims' religious devotion.' Senator Dr Hafiz Abdul Karim, patron of the Pak-Saudi Solidarity Council, also condemned the attacks, particularly those targeting Umrah pilgrims. 'Makkah and Madinah, Umrah and Hajj pilgrims are red lines for all Muslims and attack on them are unacceptable. We reject those and express full solidarity with Saudi Arabia,' he said. Shah Owais Noorani, head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were geographically separate but bound together by their shared faith. He said no Muslim could justify attacks on Umrah pilgrims or Islam's holy sites. 'Who are these people who are only disturbing (peace of) Haramain Sharifain and doing conspiracies against them?' Noorani asked, calling for the expansion of the Makkah defence agreement into a broader joint Islamic defence bloc to protect the holy land.