ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia joint defence agreement is not a newly formed alliance, adding that Pakistani armed forces have been present in Saudi Arabia for decades in various capacities and fields.
In an interview with US broadcaster CNN, the military spokesperson said that the implementation of the joint defence agreement and all its consequences would be purely defensive in nature.
He explained that operational commanders would decide how the agreement would be implemented, which troops would be deployed and how they would be utilised.
Describing the agreement as a guarantee of regional stability, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said new security challenges had emerged in the region in recent years. He added that the pact would serve as a collective defensive force to counter potential threats.
The DG ISPR said that an attack on one country would be considered an attack on both, a provision that would compel potential adversaries to think carefully before pursuing hostile objectives.
He clarified that the agreement was not intended to designate any country as either a friend or an enemy.
“One objective is to defend Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia will be defended,” he said.
Pakistan Committed to US-Iran Peace Efforts
Commenting on efforts to end the US-Iran conflict through an agreement, the DG ISPR said Pakistan had played a role in the past, was continuing its efforts and would remain engaged in the future to reduce differences and achieve a peaceful resolution through negotiations.
He said Pakistan wanted to prevent the conflict from spreading further.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry added that Pakistan had acted as an impartial and honest mediator in efforts to secure a ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
He stressed that Pakistan’s interests lay in regional peace and stability, adding that Islamabad had conveyed to all its partners and friends that further escalation of the war would benefit no one.