Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Complete Makkah Defence Pact Ratification

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have completed their respective ratification processes for the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, while Türkiye is continuing the procedures required under its domestic legal framework, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on Friday. The development moves the three-country security arrangement closer to full implementation following its signing in August.

The agreement establishes a collective-defence framework among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Its Article 2 states that an armed attack against one participating country would be treated as an attack against all three. The provision has attracted renewed attention amid regional tensions and recent Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.

Ratification does not by itself mean that military forces will be deployed immediately. Khan said issues involving the agreement’s implementation and operationalisation were still under discussion among the three governments. Those consultations included an October 5 meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee created to coordinate policy under the pact.

The spokesperson described the agreement as defensive and consistent with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognises the right of individual and collective self-defence. He stressed that the framework was intended to strengthen deterrence, regional security and cooperation rather than target any particular country.

Any assistance provided after an external armed attack would not necessarily follow a single predetermined formula. According to Khan, the nature and scale of the response would be decided collectively by the participating countries after an objective assessment of the circumstances. This leaves the partners room to determine whether support should involve military forces, equipment, intelligence, logistics or another form of assistance.

Responding to questions about transparency, Khan said the pact contained no undisclosed clauses and endorsed the text made public through the Turkish Parliament. Türkiye submitted the agreement to its legislature for ratification earlier this week, making completion of its domestic approval process the next major legal step before all three participants have formally ratified the arrangement.

The Foreign Office also declined to say that recent Houthi attacks would automatically activate the pact, explaining that any such decision must be made jointly under the agreement. Pakistan condemned attacks against Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed its commitment to the kingdom’s sovereignty and security, while also supporting Yemen’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Islamabad maintained that the Yemen conflict ultimately requires dialogue and a negotiated political settlement. Attention will now turn to Türkiye’s ratification and the operational rules developed by the three partners, including how threats are assessed, assistance is approved and military capabilities are coordinated during a crisis.