Dar reiterates Makkah defence pact is ‘defensive in nature, not directed against any country’

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday reiterated that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye was “defensive in nature and was not directed against any country,” saying its purpose was to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression.

This is the second time in two days that Dar has stressed the defensive nature of the pact amid growing discussion over its scope and regional implications.

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement established a framework for collective security and defence cooperation under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all. The pact built on a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which contained a similar mutual-defence commitment.

In a message to the nation shared on X today, Dar extended his “warm felicitations” to the nation, saying the historic accord reflected the countries’ “brotherly bonds, shared values and common commitment to peace, security and stability”.

He described the signing of the Makkah Accord as a “significant milestone” in Pakistan’s longstanding strategic relations with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The agreement, he said, embodied a shared resolve to strengthen cooperation in addressing the “evolving peace and security challenges” facing the region.

Dar reiterated that the accord was “defensive in nature” and was “not directed against any country”. “Its purpose is to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression and reinforce our capacity to defend our sovereignty, territorial integrity and peoples,” he said.

Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three, consistent with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Dar said Pakistan remained “firmly committed” to the peaceful resolution of disputes, respect for sovereignty and international law, and the pursuit of regional peace, stability and prosperity. He stressed that the Makkah Accord was “not an instrument of confrontation”, but an “expression of our collective commitment to peace through strength, solidarity and mutual respect”.

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“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the Foreign Office of Pakistan have played a pivotal role in bringing this historic Makkah Accord to fruition,” he said.

Dar said their leadership and vision in safeguarding Pakistan’s national interests and strengthening the country’s strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye were “commendable”.

In his earlier message on Sunday, issued following the signing of the agreement in Makkah on August 7, Dar had similarly described the accord as “defensive in nature” and said it was “not directed against any country”.

He had said its purpose was to strengthen “collective deterrence against external aggression” and reinforce the three countries’ ability to defend their “sovereignty, territorial integrity and peoples”.

Significance of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence.

The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Türkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans.

For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.

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The three countries already had extensive military links. Pakistan had provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara had maintained close defence ties through military training, naval cooperation and defence equipment. In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase Turkish drones in what Ankara described as its largest defence export contract.

Pakistan had also expanded its military and security cooperation with the kingdom, deploying about 8,000 troops, fighter jets, drones and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi air base under defence pact Islamabad had also been pursuing wider security and economic ties in the Gulf, including negotiations with Kuwait on an expanded cooperation pact linked to energy and investment. Pakistan-Kuwait agree to boost cooperation across key sectors

The signing in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, added symbolic weight to an agreement that brought together three countries with significant military and strategic capabilities. It also came as Pakistan sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the Iran conflict, instead pursuing diplomatic efforts to mediate, while strengthening its broader regional security partnerships.