Pakistan’s prime minister has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, warning that any “threat to the sanctity” of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina is a “red line that must never be crossed”.
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that → condemn → Mecca
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Shehbaz Sharif denounced recent Houthi attacks as “deplorable”.
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Sharif → address → attacks
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He added that an attack by the Iran-aligned Yemeni group, which Riyadh says targeted Mecca, “outraged Muslims across the globe”.
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Riyadh → call → globe
The Houthis have dismissed the accusations as a “heinous lie”.
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Houthis → dismiss → lie
Last month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed a trilateral defence pact, formally known as the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
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Pakistan → sign → Agreement
The pact states that an attack on any member will be treated as an attack on all.
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attack → state → all
However, Islamabad and Ankara have refrained from getting involved in Riyadh’s ongoing fight with the Houthis.
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Islamabad → refrain → Houthis
The military chiefs of all three countries met in Riyadh on Friday and discussed enhancing intelligence sharing and military coordination, the Pakistani military said.
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military → meet → sharing
The chiefs reviewed the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia, affirmed a commitment to collective defence and pledged to turn Mecca Agreement commitments into effective cooperation, the army added.
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army → review → cooperation
It is not clear what, if any, support Ankara and Islamabad may provide to Riyadh.
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Ankara → provide → Riyadh
In a written interview published by the US media outlet Newsweek on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said support could include “intelligence, logistics or ammunition, with more extensive military assistance possible depending on the scale of the threat”.
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support → write → threat
In Sharif’s UN address, he also referenced the US-Israeli war that was launched against Iran in late February, as well as Islamabad’s role as a co-mediator.
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that → reference → mediator
Pakistan’s efforts culminated in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Washington and Tehran, which was intended to help end the conflict.
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which → culminate → conflict
The accord has since unravelled while regional countries push for a conclusive end to the war, which has caused a global energy crisis and exacerbated tensions across the Middle East.
“Yet amid the roar of missiles, drones and guns, the voice for diplomacy must echo even louder and stronger,” Sharif said.
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Sharif → unravel → diplomacy
He added that the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded, and the Bab al-Mandeb waterway, which is now largely under Houthi control, are “arteries of the global economy” that should remain free and safe.
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that → add → economy
The Pakistani prime minister also denounced what he described as Israel’s “genocidal agenda” in Palestine, while condemning “Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Syria”.
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he → denounce → Lebanon
These were sentiments echoed earlier in the day by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in his UN General Assembly address.
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These → echo → address
India, Kashmir, Afghanistan
Closer to home, Sharif’s speech touched on tensions with Pakistan’s neighbours.
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speech → touch → neighbours
Criticising India, he accused New Delhi of weaponising the Indus waters, which both countries have jointly managed for more than six decades.
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countries → criticise → decades
The two neighbours heavily rely on the Himalayan river network.
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neighbours → rely → network
Sharif warned that “any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters will be treated as an act of war”.
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attempt → warn → war
He also called for what he described as a “just and fair solution” to the Kashmir dispute, which both Pakistan and India claim in its entirety.
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Pakistan → call → entirety
Sharif alleged that there have been attempts to “alter the legal status” of Kashmir through demographic engineering.
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Sharif → allege → engineering
Another pressing issue for Islamabad is the threat posed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban.
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issue → press → Taliban
Sharif said groups operate from “sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, with the aim of destabilising Pakistan”, insisting that attacks launched from Afghanistan “must come to a grinding halt”.
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attacks → say → halt
This comes as the latest cross-border fighting left several Afghan Taliban fighters dead on Friday.
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fighting → come → Friday
The Aporia
