Khawaja Asif: Makkah pact ready to implement; Pakistan warns tanker attack is act of war

Two federal ministers used television interviews on Wednesday, 16 September, to send a sharper message about the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the Makkah defence pact had reached the point of implementation, while Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik warned that any attack on a Pakistan-flagged tanker stuck in the Red Sea would be treated as an "act of war".

What Khawaja Asif said

Speaking on Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath", Asif said: "Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty." According to The Express Tribune, he said the trilateral alliance had "reached point of implementation" and that Pakistan would back Saudi Arabia practically and diplomatically if the situation escalated.

He also said Pakistan would defend Makkah and Madinah with or without a written agreement, calling their protection a religious obligation. He declined to go into operational details.

Asif added that Pakistan had passed a Saudi message to Iran, and said he did not think Iran as a state would open another front.

His remarks came a day after Saudi air defences intercepted a Houthi drone south of Makkah on Tuesday evening, reported to be the second attempt near the holy city. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree denied targeting Makkah and said the group's operations target oil facilities and military bases.

What the Makkah pact is

• Signed: 7 August 2026, per Dawn
• Members: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey
• Core clause: aggression against one member counts as aggression against all

Asif had already said on 9 September, on the same programme, that Pakistan was bound by the pact's terms. That was the day Houthi missiles and drones hit southern Saudi cities including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring more than 70 people.

The tanker warning

Separately, Ali Pervaiz Malik told a private TV channel that any attack on an empty Pakistan-flagged oil tanker stranded in the Red Sea, near the western end of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, would be regarded as an act of war.

No outlet has named the vessel or its owner. What has been reported:

• the ship is empty and is waiting for the pipeline to resume
• Saudi authorities asked Pakistan to keep it on standby for now
• the pipeline has been shut after Houthi attacks and could stay closed for up to six weeks
• Pakistan is weighing three options: wait for the pipeline to restart, sail the tanker home via Oman or the UAE, or buy crude from Libya

"We will have to move it one way or another," Malik said, according to Geo News.

What it means for you

At the pump, petrol is Rs 391.22 a litre today, up from Rs 384.34, and diesel is Rs 421.45. Track the daily figure on our petrol price page. A long pipeline shutdown would put Pakistan's crude supply under more strain, and the government has already said current fuel stocks cover this month and next.

For families with relatives working in Saudi Arabia, neither minister announced travel advice or any other step for Pakistanis in the kingdom. Houthi strikes have targeted southern cities, and drones have been intercepted near Makkah, so anyone living or travelling there should follow advisories from the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah.

If you receive money from Saudi Arabia, the riyal is at Rs 74.00 today; check it on our SAR to PKR page.

What happens next

Watch for three things: whether Saudi Arabia formally invokes the pact, whether the tanker leaves the Red Sea, and when the East-West pipeline reopens. Each will shape fuel availability in Pakistan through October.

More background: how long Pakistan's fuel stocks last with the Saudi pipeline shut.