Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye pact: A new shield or strategic signal?
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan have signed the 'Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,' a mutual defense pact that treats an attack on one as an attack on all. Analysts suggest the agreement is a strategic response to regional instability involving Iran and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Why it matters
This pact represents a significant shift in regional security architecture, potentially altering the balance of power in the Middle East and South Asia.
The agreement names no adversary, but analysts say Iran and its regional network are central to the thinking behind it.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, centre, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posing after signing the defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on August 7 [Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters] By Abid Hussain Published On 8 Aug 2026 8 Aug 2026 Islamabad, Pakistan – Three folders – two in green and one in crimson red – changed hands beneath a portrait of Saudi King Salman at al-Safa Palace in Mecca on Friday.
Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye’s president, and Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, held them up for the cameras, the ink still fresh on the pages inside.
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