Islamabad, March 11 Pakistan will help Saudi Arabia "even before it is needed," a senior official from the Prime Minister's office said, amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has seen attacks on Gulf countries.
Mosharraf Zaidi, who is the spokesperson for Foreign Media for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, made the comments during an interview with a private television, Dawn.com reported on Wednesday.
Zaidi was asked whether Pakistan would come to Saudi Arabia's aid "militarily or otherwise" amid the war triggered in West Asia following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"The question is not whether Pakistan might come to Saudi Arabia's aid. Both countries, even before the strategic mutual defence agreement, have operated on a principle of being there for the other before they need the other. So, there is no question that we might; we will. No matter what, no matter when," he said.
He maintained that the "real question" was what Pakistan was doing to ensure that things did not escalate to a point where "any of its closest partners are further embroiled in a conflict that potentially undermines stability and prosperity, not just for the region at large but especially for the Pakistani people."
He recalled the Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir's, recent visit to Saudi Arabia. He stated that Pakistan remained in contact with both the Saudi and Iranian leadership.
"Our prime minister and field marshal have a great relationship with the US leadership," he added.
"In the past six to seven days, there has been a whole series of conversations and one of the things I think Pakistan admires is the way in which Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have resisted being drawn in," he said.
Asked how close Pakistan was to "providing military aid to Saudi Arabia," Zaidi said that it would be "speculative and irresponsible" to comment on that.
"There is no question of if and when. Whatever is needed from Pakistan vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, Pakistan will be there before it is needed [and] similarly for Saudi Arabia," he said.
He said that Saudi Arabia "has already made arrangements to support Pakistan's supply chain stability and in terms of oil, diesel and crude."
"I think both countries are tied to each other, formally and informally, and there’s no question of whether there would be any kind of if," he said.
During the interview, Zaidi was also asked about Pakistan's engagement with Iran. In his response, he said that Pakistan was "very conscious of its responsibility as a close ally and friend" to the countries involved.
The US and Israel have launched a massive joint attack on Iran since February 28. The war has extended to almost the entire Gulf region with Iran's retaliation.