Pakistan reaffirms support for Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reiterating strongest condemnation of the recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday reaffirmed that Pakistan stood unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder, with the kingdom in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and the sanctity of Islam's holiest sites. The prime minister, in his message on the Saudi National Day annually observed on September 23, said that any threat to the sanctity and security of the Haramain Sharifain deeply wounds the sentiments of Muslims across the world, referring to the recent reprehensible attempted drone attack by Houthis on the Holy City of Makkah Al-Mukarramah. Extending his warmest felicitations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), and the brotherly people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he said that the Kingdom's remarkable journey of progress and transformation was a source of pride and admiration not only for the Saudi nation, but also for Pakistan. The prime minister said that under the dynamic and visionary leadership of the crown prince, Saudi Arabia continued to make impressive strides towards greater prosperity, modernisation and innovation. He said that Pakistan took immense pride in its historic and time-tested brotherhood with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, rooted in faith, mutual trust and an abiding bond between our peoples. President President Asif Ali Zardari felicitated the leadership and people of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the Kingdom's 96th National Day, saying the signing of the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement had further strengthened the strategic dimension of the longstanding Pakistan-Saudi partnership. In his letters to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, President Zardari said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia shared "deep-rooted ties of faith, shared history, friendship, mutual trust and solidarity." The president said the two countries "greatly value their close relations, marked by strong cooperation and mutual support at bilateral, regional and international fora." He said the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement "mark important milestones in the longstanding partnership", adding that the agreements would contribute to "peace, stability and security in the region." President Zardari expressed confidence that the "fraternal relations" between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia would continue to deepen and expand across diverse areas of mutual interest for the mutual benefit of the two countries and their peoples.