Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on Friday that Pakistan already had “substantial number” of forces and resources in Riyadh and it was now up to the Makkah Defence Alliance to assess the threat in Saudi Arabia and make decisions accordingly. The FO spokesperson remarks came in response to a query about the “active support” being offered by Pakistan to Saudi Arabia under the Makkah Defence Alliance amid an escalating conflict between the kingdom and Yemen-based Houthis. The Makkah Defence Alliance is a tripartite arrangement that includes Turkiye as well. It was signed on Aug 7 and and aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. Speaking during a weekly briefing, the FO spokesperson recalled that a joint statement by the three members of the alliance was “very clear in stating that the three countries are united in ensuring deterrence and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. The three countries had decided to contribute and mobilise resources rapidly, he said, adding that Pakistan already had a “substantial number of forces, as well as resources, in Riyadh”. “It is now up to the organisation to assess the threat perception and operate in accordance with its own mandate,” he said. More to follow