{
  "id": 10980075,
  "title": "Pakistan will be there to defend Saudi Arabia in any conflict: Khawaja Asif",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/pakistan-will-be-there-to-defend-saudi-arabia-in-any-conflict-khawaja-10980075",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T15:54:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2033772/pakistan-will-be-there-to-defend-saudi-arabia-in-any-conflict-khawaja-asif"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has asserted that Pakistan stands ready to support Saudi Arabia in any conflict, declaring, \"We are there to help Saudi Arabia in any conflict, whether it is coming from the Houthis or a country or any other outfit that threatens Saudi Arabia’s security. We will be there to defend them.\" This stance emerged amid ongoing hostilities between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government, which has implicated Saudi Arabia. Both sides have accused each other of strikes, with tensions persisting. Pakistan, which has inked two defence agreements with Riyadh, has voiced unwavering solidarity with the kingdom. In Sept 18, the ISPR Director General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, promised Pakistan's \"unconditional\" commitment to Saudi Arabia's security. Asif reiterated that Pakistan would \"practically and diplomatically\" stand by Saudi Arabia against the Houthi rebels if the situation worsened. He emphasized that Pakistan is bound by an arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, indicating that all means at their disposal would be extended to Riyadh. The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA), signed in 2025, entitles both nations to treat an attack on either as an attack on both. Additionally, Pakistan is a member of the Makkah Defence Alliance, which includes Turkey, committing to mutual defense in case of an attack on any member state. Military leaders from the three countries recently met in Riyadh to strengthen their defense cooperation. Asif reiterated that Houthis are \"enemies of Saudi Arabia, and any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan,\" while also noting Iran's disapproval of the Houthi proxy.",
  "summary": "Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan was “there to help” Saudi Arabia in any conflict. “We are there to help Saudi Arabia in any conflict, whether it is coming from the Houthis or a country or any other outfit that threatens Saudi Arabia’s security. We will be there to defend them,” he said in a video clip, which appeared to be excerpted from a longer interview, published by Al…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Second team of pilots in civilian clothes stepped in to save flydubai plane, helped land safely in Saudi: Report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/second-team-of-pilots-in-civilian-clothes-stepped-in-to-save-flydubai",
        "published": "2026-09-30T12:20:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Flight from Dubai to Israel lands in Saudi Arabia after pilots fight midair",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/flight-from-dubai-to-israel-lands-in-saudi-arabia-after-pilots-fight",
        "published": "2026-09-30T13:21:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Saudi Arabia allows some ‘absent’ workers to transfer to new employers through Qiwa platform",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/saudi-arabia-allows-some-absent-workers-to-transfer-to-new-employers",
        "published": "2026-09-30T15:50:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "Pakistan will be there to defend Saudi Arabia in any conflict: Khawaja Asif",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/pakistan-will-be-there-to-defend-saudi-arabia-in-any-conflict-khawaja",
        "published": "2026-09-30T15:54:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}