Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry says Makkah pact operations will be defensive

Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said operations under the Makkah defence pact would be purely defensive. Pakistan TV published an extended excerpt of his CNN interview on October 9.

The Inter-Services Public Relations chief said operational commanders would determine the force components, locations and methods of deployment. He declined to disclose operational details during a military conflict but stressed the defensive nature of the arrangements.

In an earlier short excerpt released on Wednesday, Chaudhry confirmed Pakistani troops were present in Saudi Arabia. He said they had served in the kingdom for decades across several domains. Those comments alone do not establish the size or deployment timetable of a new contingent.

Speaking to CNN correspondent Ivan Watson, the military spokesperson also defended Pakistan's role as a mediator between the United States and Iran. He said Islamabad had condemned both Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran's retaliatory campaign in the Gulf, and supported a negotiated, peaceful settlement.

Chaudhry described narrowing differences and preventing the war from spreading as the aims of those efforts. He argued that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey's combined military and diplomatic capabilities should provide deterrence.

The three countries signed the Makkah agreement on August 7. Its collective-defence principle treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. The spokesperson's latest explanation comes amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's continuing mediation efforts.