PM Shehbaz Reaffirms Support for Saudi Arabia
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity” amid a recent escalation in Houthi attacks.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier made the remarks during a meeting with newly appointed Saudi Ambassador Dr Rajeh Tami Albugamy. He welcomed the envoy to Pakistan and congratulated him on assuming his new responsibilities.
Ambassador Albugamy took up his diplomatic duties in Islamabad on Thursday, pledging to strengthen the strategic and fraternal ties between the two countries.
Condemnation of Houthi attacks
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz strongly condemned the recent escalation in Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, which he noted had caused deaths and injuries, including among Pakistani nationals.
He said Pakistan-Saudi relations had made significant progress in recent years and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation across sectors.
The prime minister described the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance as “historic milestones” in the two countries’ longstanding fraternal relations, reflecting their shared commitment to regional peace and security. He also thanked the Saudi leadership for its longstanding economic and financial support to Pakistan and assured the ambassador of Pakistan’s full cooperation in strengthening ties.
Escalation across the Red Sea
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had targeted facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco, after Saudi officials reported a strike on a building in Riyadh housing the energy giant’s operations centre.
Powerful explosions rattled the Saudi capital as the coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh. A day earlier, Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, hitting fuel and energy facilities it said were being used to support missile and drone attacks. Loud explosions were also heard near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, and Saudi civil defence said four people were wounded by debris from two intercepted Houthi cruise missiles in the capital, with 15 homes damaged.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers since a truce in their long war with Yemen’s coalition government unravelled in July. Pakistan has tracked the fallout closely, including Houthi strikes on airports at Abha and Riyadh that killed three people and an attack in which a Saudi pilot was killed. The disruption even reached Pakistani travellers when PIA suspended flights to Riyadh.
A month of Pakistan-Saudi engagement
Friday’s meeting continues a dense month of Pakistan-Saudi contact. On October 5, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed at an emergency meeting of the Makkah pact in Riyadh on the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who attended, said Pakistan and Turkiye had “presence in theatre” while only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations. The Foreign Office has since stressed that the alliance’s forces are defensive in nature.
On September 18, the military’s media wing said Pakistan would go to “any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia, calling Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security “unconditional” — a line the DG ISPR has tied to Pakistani troops’ decades-long presence in the kingdom.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the new Saudi ambassador to Pakistan?
Dr Rajeh Tami Albugamy, who assumed his diplomatic responsibilities in Islamabad on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
What did PM Shehbaz discuss with the Saudi envoy?
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, condemned recent Houthi attacks, and thanked Riyadh for its economic and financial support.
What is the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance?
A defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Pakistan describes it as a defensive arrangement for collective deterrence, and the three countries agreed on October 5 to the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities.
