Ahsan Iqbal Says Makkah Pact Can Strengthen Peace Through Deterrence

LAHORE: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has described the Makkah Pact as a major strategic development for Pakistan and its partners, saying the country must now reinforce its defence and diplomatic gains by strengthening the economy. He made the remarks at a seminar titled “Makkah Pact and New Geometry of Power” hosted by the University of Lahore, where political, diplomatic and security figures examined the significance of the new regional defence arrangement.

Iqbal said Pakistan had registered important achievements in defence and diplomacy but cautioned that such progress would be difficult to sustain without stronger economic foundations and improved domestic governance. He argued that Pakistan should now concentrate on an economic reset capable of supporting its wider strategic objectives. His remarks linked the country’s external security posture with the need for internal economic resilience at a time of shifting regional and global alignments.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan told the gathering that the pact should contribute to regional peace by creating credible deterrence. He said closer coordination among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye projected unity and collective strength. The comments reflected the position taken by officials from the three countries that the alliance is intended to reinforce security while supporting stability rather than encouraging confrontation.

Former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri described the agreement as an arrangement aimed at protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the participating states. Former national security adviser Nasir Janjua, meanwhile, placed the pact within a broader shift in global power, arguing that emerging centres of influence were creating new opportunities for regional cooperation. Former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani also linked the development to Pakistan’s recent diplomatic engagement and the changing strategic environment in the Middle East.

The discussion follows steps taken by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to institutionalise the Makkah Defence Alliance. At the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Istanbul on August 31, the three governments agreed to strengthen collective deterrence and defence cooperation. The alliance is establishing a secretariat in Riyadh, with Pakistan selected to provide its first secretary general for an initial three-year term.

The pact itself was signed in Makkah in August by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Its collective-defence framework provides that aggression against one member is to be treated as aggression against all participating states. Officials have also said cooperation will extend to joint activities, defence industries, technology development and other measures intended to improve the capabilities and coordination of their armed forces.

For Pakistan, the arrangement could deepen security and diplomatic coordination with two of its most important regional partners while giving Islamabad a prominent role in the alliance’s developing institutional structure. The government has presented the initiative as part of a wider effort to promote regional stability, de-escalation and peaceful resolution of disputes. Iqbal’s emphasis on economic reform, however, underlines that officials see domestic financial strength as essential to sustaining Pakistan’s broader strategic influence.

The next phase will centre on turning the agreement’s commitments into functioning institutions and practical cooperation. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are expected to continue work through the alliance’s political and defence mechanisms, while the Riyadh-based secretariat takes shape under initial Pakistani leadership. Further joint activities, defence cooperation and possible participation by additional countries could determine how influential the Makkah Defence Alliance becomes in the region’s evolving security architecture.