Islamabad, October 5, 2026: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will attend a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, in Riyadh on Monday.
According to the Foreign Office, the meeting will also be attended by the foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The committee will discuss the latest developments in the region and review ongoing cooperation under the framework of the Makkah agreement.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s participation in the meeting reflected its resolve to continue contributing towards regional peace and stability.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also confirmed that the committee would meet in Riyadh to discuss recent regional developments and progress towards institutionalising the alliance.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will attend the meeting, along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, according to the ministry.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah trilateral agreement on August 7, establishing a framework for collective security and defence cooperation among the three countries. The agreement, subsequently referred to as the Makkah Defence Alliance, provides that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three.
The meeting comes amid heightened regional tensions and reports of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia. The Houthi group has carried out missile and drone attacks in the region, including against Saudi-linked interests, while Saudi air defence systems have intercepted a number of projectiles.
On October 2, Dar had said an emergency meeting under the Makkah agreement would be held to review the situation in Saudi Arabia. He said the Kingdom had faced 17 to 18 attacks and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to its defence.
“We are bound to defend Saudi Arabia,” Dar had said, adding that the UN Charter also provided a basis for such alliances to take action.
Last week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also condemned Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and said Pakistan would stand by Riyadh against any threat.
“Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia against any threat. Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan,” Asif said.
