Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey hold Makkah defence pact committee meeting in Riyadh

5 October 2026

The Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement held an emergency meeting in Riyadh on 5 October 2026.
Pakistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Pakistan's Foreign Office said the foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Turkey would also attend.
The agreement, signed on 7 August 2026, says an armed attack on any one of the three countries is regarded as an attack on all three.
The committee had first met in Istanbul on 31 August 2026.
In a joint statement issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three countries said they agreed to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and to ensure their rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia, in accordance with approved arrangements and national legislation.
The committee appointed Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood (retd) of Pakistan as the alliance's first secretary-general for a three-year term.