By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief has met Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to review progress on the Makkah defence pact, as Houthi attacks on the kingdom grow in scale.
Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is also chief of defence forces, received Dr Rajeh Tami Albugamy at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday, according to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest and regional security dynamics were discussed,” ISPR said. “Both the dignitaries expressed satisfaction over the progress made under the framework of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and underscored the importance of strengthening defence collaboration, institutional linkages and strategic coordination.”
Field Marshal Munir congratulated the ambassador on his appointment and said he was confident his tenure would strengthen ties between Islamabad and Riyadh, which he described as “rooted in shared faith, mutual trust and strategic partnership”. The statement did not name any specific threat.
The talks took place on a day of fresh violence. The Houthis said they had carried out six attacks on Saudi oil, aviation and military targets over the previous 48 hours, including strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and the Shaybah oilfield. Neither Saudi Arabia nor its military coalition commented immediately. Riyadh also postponed its flagship investment conference, scheduled for 26 to 29 October, until 2027. Separately, officials said Houthi ballistic missiles hit a military camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province, killing more than 50 people and wounding over 200.
The Iran-backed group’s campaign has intensified since 10 October, when an attack on Riyadh’s airport killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in over a decade. It was the third strike on the airport in a week.
Pakistan has made clear it will not stand aside. Earlier this month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey held an emergency meeting of the strategic committee of the Makkah alliance in Riyadh. They agreed to rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities in the kingdom. Defence minister Khawaja Asif has said Pakistani and Turkish forces would play a supporting role, including reconnaissance, while Saudi forces conduct combat operations. Asif said on 30 September that Pakistan would use “whatever means are available” to defend the kingdom.
The military’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Chaudhry, has confirmed that Pakistani troops are in Saudi Arabia under the Makkah alliance. In an interview aired on Sunday, he said Pakistan was providing “whatever support is needed” to defend the kingdom. Pakistan has also warned the Houthis against attacking Saudi Arabia.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed on 7 August by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It commits the three states to treat an attack on one as an attack on all. It sits alongside the bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement that Islamabad and Riyadh signed in September 2025.
Dr Albugamy took up his post in Islamabad last Thursday and has since met Sharif and Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”, while Dar spoke of a “shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation for mutual progress and prosperity”.
Pressure on Riyadh to secure outside backing is mounting. Egypt’s parliament has postponed a debate on a request to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia, and Donald Trump has said he is considering joining Saudi operations against the rebels.
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