NEW DELHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday used the 81st United Nations General Assembly to condemn Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and warn against any threat to the safety and sanctity of Mecca.He also defended Pakistan’s new defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, while highlighting Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to bring the United States and Iran to the negotiating table.“We once again condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the recent deplorable attacks by the Houthis against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Sharif said in his address.“The attempted drone attack on the holy city of Mecca al-Mukarramah has outraged Muslims across the globe. Any threat to safety and sanctity… is a red line that must never be crossed. No Muslim can even dare to think of committing such a heinous (act).”Saudi Arabia has accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca with a drone, an allegation the Houthis denied. Riyadh has also reported intercepting Houthi ballistic missiles following renewed hostilities in the region.Sharif also sought to underline Islamabad’s diplomatic role in the conflict between the United States and Iran, saying Pakistan had worked to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.“Pakistan chose to act swiftly through concerted efforts. Pakistan successfully brought Washington and Tehran under one roof in Islamabad. From the Islamabad talks to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, many historic steps were taken to bring an end to this serious conflict,” he said.The Pakistani prime minister also referred to the recently signed defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement provides for collective defence commitments among the three countries, while Pakistani officials have said the arrangement is not directed against any particular state.Sharif said the pact was intended to serve defence, stability and peace rather than confrontation.On Palestine, Sharif denounced what he called Israel’s “genocidal agenda” and condemned what he described as “Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Syria”.He also thanked Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, crediting his “relentless efforts” with helping create “space for diplomacy under exceptionally difficult and challenging circumstances”.Sharif further thanked US President Donald Trump for what he called his “timely intervention” during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, saying it had “saved hundreds of millions of lives in South Asia”.His remarks came as Pakistan balances its ties with Iran with its deepening strategic and defence relationship with Saudi Arabia, while regional tensions continue to test Islamabad’s stated preference for diplomacy.
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