Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan on Thursday said “more time is needed” to implement the Makkah Defense Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, as Yemen’s Houthis target Riyadh.
Addressing a weekly press briefing, he said Pakistani forces are currently in Saudi Arabia for training and logistical purposes, and further aspects of defense cooperation would emerge soon. Under the Makkah Defense Alliance, any attack on a member state in deemed an attack on all members.
Strongly condemning the Houthi attacks on civilian and economic sites in Saudi Arabia, the spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering support” for the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and prosperity.
Thursday’s briefing also saw the Foreign Office condemning the “systematic” and “state-sanctioned” demolition of mosques in India. To a question, the spokesperson said Pakistan “expresses deep concern and condemns the systematic state-sanctioned demolition of Islamic holy places in India under different pretexts.” He said the demolitions were in violation of the Liaquat-Nehru Pact of 1950, which guarantees the security and rights of religious minorities.
He emphasized that the demolitions violated Indian laws, particularly the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which requires the religious character of places of worship to be maintained as it existed on Aug. 15, 1947. “The Hindu-driven Islamophobic campaign has resulted in an imminent threat and the destruction of centuries-old heritage sites and places of worship,” he said of the recent demolition of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh.
Khan urged the international community to take action against continued persecution of Muslims in India. He also rejected a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs regarding damage to a Hindu temple in Narowal. “Contrary to India’s claim, the temple’s structure was damaged in torrential rain,” he said.
The Foreign Office spokesperson also condemned the mistreatment of jailed Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik and called on the international community to take notice of his situation. “Malik’s decision to withdraw from his defense was a protest against the Indian judicial system,” he said, regretting India’s judiciary had become a means of depriving the Kashmiri people justice. He reiterated a call for the international community to deny India’s use of Malik’s life and health for political purposes.
During the briefing, Khan updated the media on Pakistan’s dispatch of 100 tons of humanitarian assistance to Nepal at the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the aftermath of devastating floods and landslides. The relief goods included tents, blankets, mats, hygiene kits and medicines, he said, adding the prime minister had visited the Embassy of Nepal on Sept. 4 and signed the condolence book for those killed in the floods and landslides. He said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had also visited the embassy on Sept. 5, conveyed his condolences and wished a speedy recovery to those injured and safety for those missing.
On Afghanistan, the spokesperson said Pakistan had hosted millions of Afghan citizens for four decades, with around 4.5 million Afghans living in the country at its peak. He stressed Pakistan had provided Afghan citizens space in its “homes, offices, sports grounds and other places,” adding a large number had returned following the repatriation process for illegal foreigners.
According to Khan, more than one million Afghan citizens are still living in different parts of Pakistan. He said Islamabad wanted a “peaceful and stable Afghanistan” and good, friendly relations with its neighbor. Preventing terrorism coming from Afghanistan into Pakistan was a “fundamental requirement” for better relations between the two countries, he added.
“Terrorists coming from Afghan soil into Pakistan” were present in different areas and were receiving funding from Afghanistan and other countries, including India, he alleged. Pakistan was “not asking Afghanistan for anything more,” he said, noting Islamabad had made “many sacrifices” for the Afghan cause and provided extensive support. He said Pakistan had provided educational opportunities to thousands of Afghan students, with more than 6,000 Afghan students having studied in the country.
Additionally, he noted, Pakistan had built roads and bridges in Afghanistan, established universities and set up a hospital. “If there is reciprocal goodwill from Afghanistan, cooperation and a friendly environment can be restored,” he said.
To a question, the spokesperson said a statement regarding Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had been “misquoted.” He said Pakistan’s position was that Afghan territory was being used for terrorism. “The Punjab government spokesperson has clarified the matter,” he added.