Mapusa (Goa) [India], September 13 (ANI): Former Minister of State for External Affairs, MJ Akbar, took a swipe at the Mecca Defence Pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye amid reports of Riyadh approaching the United States after strikes by Yemen’s Houthis.
Speaking to ANI, MJ Akbar asked why Saudi Arabia did not approach Pakistan or Turkiye. Taking a dig at Islamabad, he said that the Pakistani Army backed away.
The former minister suggested that Saudi Arabia instead look towards BRICS, which in its New Delhi Declaration under India’s chairship has called for peace in the region.
Akbar said, “Just a day before, the Saudi prince, who is the effective ruler of Saudi Arabia, telephoned US President Trump to seek American armed help against the Houthi advance in Yemen. Riyadh and the Saudis must have been shocked when President Trump refused to enter this war. If Saudi Arabia has been threatened and in danger, then why did not the Saudi crown prince pick up the phone and call Ankara? Why did he not pick up the phone and call Islamabad?”
“Because Turkey and Pakistan are the two nations which have just signed the Mecca pact with Saudi Arabia. And this was a pact which said one for all and all for one. An attack on one country shall be deemed to be an attack on all three. The Pakistan Army backed away. Pakistan Army, it seems to me, is very heroic in the cantonment, but turns into sheep on the battlefield. At the first challenge after the Mecca Pact, it simply slunk away back to its bunkers,” he added.
Akbar said, “Saudis need to take a very careful look at the Delhi Declaration of BRICS, where it is very comprehensively stated that war is not a solution and they must seek solutions through political, diplomatic dialogue that Prime Minister Modi has advocated in this declaration.”
After seizing the key Red Sea port of Mokha and the last two islands, which were not under their control, in the strategic shipping route of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s Houthis continued to strike at bordering Saudi Arabia, the CBS reported, citing a military official in the Yemeni government.
The tightening of the grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by Iran-backed rebels comes as they target ships transiting for Saudi Arabian oil exports on a route which is an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
On Sunday (local time), the militant group struck weapons depots and command and control rooms at the military base in Saudi Arabia’s Sharurah region, Houthi’s Yahya Saree said on X.
According to Al Jazeera, two people were injured in a Houthi strike along Saudi Arabia’s border.
According to CBS News, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has asked US President Donald Trump to take military action against Houthis, which he reportedly declined.
These attacks come while BRICS nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE, have called for peace in the region.
In the New Delhi declaration on Saturday, the BRICS nations expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in West Asia” and called for “maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation.”
The nations also urged ensuring the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations in their entirety and interconnectedness, including respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States.
BRICS called for dialogue and diplomacy towards a long-term understanding that will contribute to lasting peace, security and stability in the region and maintain the smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy, in accordance with applicable international law. (ANI)