The author says Pakistan is squeezed as Saudi–Houthi fighting rises: it wants to stay Riyadh’s defense partner and still mediate with Tehran and Washington. A new Saudi–Turkey–Pakistan pact (an attack on one is an attack on all) tightens that bind.

Islamabad has passed Riyadh’s warning to Iran to restrain the Houthis and kept military contacts with Tehran. Troops near the Saudi–Yemen line and past help to the kingdom mean a bigger Saudi ask would be hard to refuse—and hard to square with Iran, India-border strain, and western-province security.

Mediation needs trust on both sides; closer Saudi/U.S. ties can look partisan in Tehran. The piece argues Pakistan should keep using the Saudi channel for diplomacy, not combat, or it risks losing neutrality, drawing reprisals, and losing room to maneuver.

Pakistan is up against a tough diplomatic challenge amid an intensifying battle between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen that could endanger Islamabad’s efforts to stay close to Riyadh and maintain its mediator status towards Tehran.

For most of the year, Pakistan has attempted to be a defence ally of Saudi Arabia while maintaining the role of intermediary to Washington and Tehran. But the recent escalation has made the balancing act more difficult for Islamabad.

What makes the situation particularly complex for Pakistan is the fact that the country has lately expanded its defence partnership with Saudi Arabia and Turkey with a trilateral pact whereby an attack against one is considered an attack against all three.

Pakistan also depends on energy and trade routes that can be disrupted by Iran and the Houthi, making Islamabad keen not to allow the conflict to escalate further.

New Diplomatic Challenge for Pakistan’s Defence Pledge

The recent conflicts present a diplomatic challenge for Pakistan’s security partnership with Saudi Arabia.

The Pakistani forces are already posted near the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border, while Pakistan has previously been known to provide military support to Saudi Arabia as part of bilateral military defence agreements.

This conflict will therefore place Pakistan in a complex situation compared to previous attacks by........

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