Islamabad, October 2,2026: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said more than six countries had expressed interest in joining the Makkah Defence Alliance, while reiterating that the agreement was defensive in nature and not intended for offensive purposes.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Dar said Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye had signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7.
Under the agreement, subsequently referred to as the Makkah Defence Alliance, an attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all three, similar to the principle contained in Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
Dar said the first meeting under the agreement was held on August 31 and the alliance’s headquarters would be established in Saudi Arabia.
He said Pakistan had nominated Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary general of the Makkah Defence Alliance, describing him as a “very good and pious officer”.
The foreign minister said an emergency meeting under the Makkah agreement would be held next week to review the latest security situation in Saudi Arabia, which, he said, had faced 17 to 18 attacks.
“We are bound to defend Saudi Arabia,” Dar said, adding that the UN Charter also provided for such alliances. He noted that NATO operated on a similar principle.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Dar said there should be no fee or service charge for passage through the strategic waterway.
He said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wanted the issue to end “somehow”, adding that all parties were seeking to maximise their gains.
Turning to Afghanistan, Dar said Pakistan had “good wishes” for the neighbouring country but wanted Kabul to ensure that its territory was not used for attacks against Pakistan.
“They have to show that action has been taken against the [banned] Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Liberation Army and Fitna al-Hindustan,” he said.
Dar said the Pakistan-Afghanistan border had remained closed since October and acknowledged that Pakistan was aware of the resulting destruction of crops.
