Pakistan Joins Riyadh Defence Pact Meeting Today

A high-level meeting under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is scheduled to take place in Riyadh on Monday, bringing together senior civilian and military officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed that the meeting will review recent regional developments and ongoing cooperation among the member states under the defence framework.

Pakistan’s delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of general staff from Saudi Arabia and Turkiye are also expected to attend the Strategic Political and Defence Committee session.

The agenda comes at a sensitive moment for the region, with tensions linked to the Yemen conflict and attacks involving the Houthis and Saudi Arabia continuing to shape Gulf security calculations. Officials said the member states will discuss the latest developments and assess cooperation within the framework of the Makkah Agreement.

Dar arrived in Madina earlier in the day before proceeding to Riyadh for the meeting. He paid respects at the Prophet’s Mosque and offered prayers before travelling to the Saudi capital, where he is expected to join other Pakistani officials for the committee session.

The meeting follows earlier consultations under the defence pact, which was signed on August 7. The agreement is aimed at strengthening collective deterrence and allows the signatory states to treat an attack on one member as an attack on all. Its first committee meeting was held in Istanbul on August 31, where it was decided that the alliance’s secretariat would initially be led by Pakistan for three years.

Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first secretary general of the alliance. The structure gives Pakistan a central administrative role in the early phase of the pact, while also placing Islamabad inside a broader regional security conversation involving two key partners.

The latest session also follows a September 25 meeting in Riyadh among military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, convened urgently after attacks on Saudi Arabia. Pakistani officials have repeatedly voiced support for Saudi security, with military and political leaders saying Islamabad remains committed to the kingdom’s defence.

The Riyadh meeting is expected to clarify the next steps for political and defence coordination under the pact. For Pakistan, participation signals an attempt to remain closely engaged with regional security partners while projecting support for stability in the Gulf and the wider Muslim world.