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The Foreign Office issued a statement detailing the outcomes of an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Defence Alliance held in Riyadh. The committee decided to move immediately toward implementing collective defence commitments by providing the agreed military forces and capabilities for rapid deployment in the kingdom. This action will occur in accordance with approved arrangements and the national legislation of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The measures are intended to enhance readiness, military integration and collective capacity to counter threats, the statement added.
Pakistan’s delegation to the gathering included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. The session addressed security developments and threats confronting Saudi Arabia. Participants from all three nations endorsed recommendations stemming from previous political and military consultations before adopting the deployment decision.
The alliance members condemned in the strongest terms the attempted targeting of Makkah and Madina as well as continuing attacks on Saudi cities, civilian areas and economic facilities. They reaffirmed their unequivocal rejection of any attack or threat against the kingdom’s security and territorial integrity. The three countries also commended the vigilance and professionalism of Saudi armed forces in safeguarding the kingdom, according to the joint statement.
In a related development from the meeting, the committee appointed retired Pakistani Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary general for a three-year term. The members wished him success in his new role and expressed confidence that he would contribute significantly to achieving the pact’s goals. This appointment forms part of ongoing efforts to build the institutional framework of the defence alliance.
The Makkah Defence Pact was signed on August 7, establishing a framework in which an attack on one signatory is considered an attack on all three, the Foreign Office has previously stated. The agreement seeks to bolster collective deterrence across the participating states. It builds upon longstanding military ties, particularly between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia where Pakistani forces have assisted in training and security operations in the past according to Defence Ministry records.
The decision arrives as Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for multiple recent attacks on Saudi infrastructure including a strike on a power distribution station in Madina that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, according to Saudi officials. Saudi officials have reported intercepting many such threats. The alliance statement emphasised that the security of each member constitutes an integral part of the collective security of the group.
