Pakistan finishes legal steps for tri-nation defense deal
Islamabad and Riyadh have approved the Mecca pact, while Turkey continues its internal review as Houthi strikes persist.
By Malik Salazar ·
Pakistan completed its ratification of a joint defense agreement with Turkey and Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The Foreign Office confirmed that Islamabad and Riyadh have both finished their respective legal processes. The three nations signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. This approval process took 78 days to conclude for Pakistan. Turkey is currently handling its own domestic approval procedures, meaning the pact is not yet fully active across all three signatories.
Sajjad Haider Khan, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office, stated that discussions regarding the agreement's operational details are ongoing. He noted that the three parties are still working out how the deal will function in practice. The agreement was originally signed in Mecca by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The pact establishes a framework for collective defense. It triggers if any of the three states faces an external armed attack. The specific type and scale of support will depend on the situation at hand. Pakistan has characterized the treaty as defensive, aligning with the United Nations Charter. A meeting of the three countries' Strategic Political and Defence Committee on October 5 pushed for faster implementation. That session called for rapid deployment of military forces to Saudi Arabia, subject to each nation's internal laws.
The announcement arrived while Saudi Arabia manages new security threats. Civil Defence authorities issued warnings this week regarding potential dangers in Abha and Khamis Mushait, located in the southwest. Officials later reported that the immediate danger had passed, though they did not specify the nature of the threat. Residents were advised to stay indoors and avoid filming the affected zones.
These alerts followed Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory. Reporting from Reuters on October 21 indicated that Riyadh's allies are providing primarily defensive support. The kingdom is focusing on protecting its infrastructure from further strikes. Regional tensions have risen as Israel announced large-scale military drills for Sunday and Monday. These exercises will involve air force units and ground troops from the Northern and Central Commands, rehearsing scenarios for surprise attacks.
The Israeli military stated the drills are designed to test readiness for multi-front defense. This preparation coincides with reports that Washington and Tel Aviv are considering new military action against Iran. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States might launch another operation as the conflict approaches its eighth month. A report from The Business Times cited US officials who said American and Israeli forces have drafted plans for fresh strikes after the November 3 midterm elections.
