Mosharraf Zaidi says Pakistan-Saudi ties are long-standing, built on mutual support and cooperation
Pakistan on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to support Saudi Arabia when needed, while stressing that Islamabad is also working to prevent further escalation in the Middle East.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg TVPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi highlighted the longstanding relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, noting that it has always been based on mutual support and cooperation.
“One thing to be very clear at the very top, the question is not whether Pakistan can come to Saudi Arabia’s aid. I think both countries, even before the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, have always operated on a principle of being there for the other before they need the other. There is no doubt that we can, we will, no matter what and no matter when,” he said.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply after US and Israeli airstrikes last week assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials, triggering a wave of retaliation from Tehran and widening the conflict across the region. In response to the attacks, Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US military bases in several Gulf countries, significantly expanding the scope of the confrontation.
Pakistan’s leadership has since stepped up its diplomatic efforts to play its role in managing tensions, particularly between Iran and the Gulf states.
spoke to @BloombergTV this morning on Pakistan’s response to the economic and supply chain challenges caused by the invasion of Iran.
I explained that the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and our Field Marshal have acted early and decisively and ensured IA continued robust supply and stocks. pic.twitter.com/y6bWHJ39WT
— Mosharraf Zaidi 🇵🇰 (@mosharrafzaidi) 11 March 2026
Zaidi said Pakistan was focused on preventing a wider regional conflict that could further destabilize the Middle East and affect Pakistan’s own interests.
“The real question is what Pakistan is doing to ensure that things do not get to a point where any of its closest partners become further entangled, further drawn into a conflict that potentially undermines stability and prosperity, not only for the region as a whole, but especially for the Pakistani people,” he added.
He said Pakistan had actively engaged with regional and global partners in recent days. Chief of Defense Staff (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir recently visited Saudi Arabia, while Islamabad has also been in contact with Iranian leaders and maintained dialogue with the US.
“I think over the last six or seven days there’s been a whole series of conversations. And I have to say, one of the things that I think Pakistanis really admire is the way that Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states have actually resisted being drawn in,” he said.
Zaidi noted that some voices in the United States had called for the Gulf states to become more actively involved in the conflict, but regional governments had so far avoided deeper involvement.
“We’ve seen all kinds of appeals from some people in the US and elsewhere who want the Saudis and the other countries in the GCC to get more actively involved. But they’ve resisted. And I think that’s partly part of what Pakistan wants to see is bigger,” he said.
