- The defensive alliance offers collective deterrence, not aggression.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the situation had already reached the point where the Mecca Defence Alliance could be implemented, amid rising Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. He vowed that Pakistan and Turkey would stand with Saudi Arabia “practically and diplomatically” in the event of aggression. His remarks came after Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city on Tuesday. The Saudi-led coalition called the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims a “red line”.
Alliance Commitments
Speaking to media, Asif said Pakistan was bound by the trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as its commitment to protecting the holy sites in Mecca and Madina.
He said Muslims did not need a formal agreement to respond if the holy sites came under attack, describing their protection as a religious duty.
Asif said Pakistan would fulfil its obligations under the Mecca Defence Alliance according to the terms agreed by the three countries.
“Under the trilateral agreement, if the territorial integrity of a country comes under threat, the agreement will be activated and the other two countries will proceed to protect it,” he said.
Asif declined to provide details of any military or political engagement with the Houthis, saying such strategies were not intended to be made public.
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Defensive Pact
Earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry described the agreement as a defensive arrangement focused on collective deterrence.
He said the pact had no regional or aggressive ambitions and was intended to strengthen defence cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Chaudhry also said the agreement was not exclusively a Muslim alliance and could potentially include other willing partners committed to regional peace, stability, non-interference and collective deterrence.
The pact, signed on August 7, states that an attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all. Its inaugural meeting was held in Istanbul on August 31, where Pakistan was chosen to head the alliance’s secretariat for an initial three-year term.
Asif also said Iran was unlikely to support the Houthis directly, warning that opening another front could widen the regional conflict.
Also Read: MIDDLE EAST ALERT: US-Houthi Talks Stir Saudi Concerns as Yemen Conflict Reaches New Phase
