{"id":2541,"date":"2026-08-09T20:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/?p=2541"},"modified":"2026-08-09T20:34:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:34:02","slug":"makkah-defence-pact-is-purely-defensive-not-aimed-at-any-country-dar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/08\/09\/makkah-defence-pact-is-purely-defensive-not-aimed-at-any-country-dar\/","title":{"rendered":"Makkah defence pact is ‘purely defensive’, not aimed at any country: Dar"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD<\/strong>: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement\u00a0with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was \u201cpurely defensive in nature\u201d and was \u201cnot targeted against any country\u201d, as he sought to clarify the purpose and scope of the pact amid growing discussion over the agreement.<\/p>\n

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was\u00a0signed\u00a0by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday, establishing a framework for collective security and defence cooperation under which an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all. The pact built on a\u00a0Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u00a0signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which contained a similar mutual-defence commitment.<\/p>\n

In a post on X, Dar said the agreement\u2019s \u201csole purpose\u201d was to strengthen ongoing efforts towards \u201cpeace, stability and prosperity\u201d in the wider region. He described the Makkah Accord as a reflection of the \u201cdepth of the brotherly relations\u201d between the leaderships and peoples of the three countries.<\/p>\n

He said the agreement was the culmination of \u201cyears of discussions and coordination\u201d, driven by a shared desire to strengthen strategic cooperation in addressing \u201cmultifarious peace and security challenges\u201d and advancing regional peace, stability and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Dar stressed that the accord did not \u201cabrogate or replace\u201d any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between the three countries, or their agreements with other countries or organisations.<\/p>\n

Under the agreement, \u201cany external armed attack on any one of the three countries will be considered as an attack on all\u201d, consistent with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.<\/p>\n

The foreign minister said the accord remained open to other countries in the region willing to uphold its \u201cfundamental principles\u201d and resolve differences through \u201cmutual respect, cooperation and peaceful means\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said the agreement was consistent with Pakistan\u2019s \u201cfundamental pillars\u201d of foreign policy and reaffirmed Islamabad\u2019s commitment to working with \u201call brotherly countries in the region\u201d towards lasting peace and stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain committed to advancing the cause of peaceful resolution of all conflicts and building a more secure, stable and prosperous future for our peoples,\u201d Dar said.<\/p>\n

Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan wanted the framework to expand beyond the three founding members, with\u00a0Egypt among the potential countries\u00a0that could join once certain technical matters were resolved.<\/p>\n

He added that a ministerial committee and a general secretariat based in Saudi Arabia were also planned, with operational details to be worked out at the committee\u2019s first meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement\u00a0with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was \u201cpurely defensive in nature\u201d and was \u201cnot targeted against any country\u201d, as he sought to clarify the purpose and scope of the pact amid growing discussion over the agreement. The Makkah Joint […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\nMakkah defence pact is 'purely defensive', not aimed at any country: Dar - Diplomag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/08\/09\/makkah-defence-pact-is-purely-defensive-not-aimed-at-any-country-dar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Makkah defence pact is 'purely defensive', not aimed at any country: Dar - Diplomag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement\u00a0with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was \u201cpurely defensive in nature\u201d and was \u201cnot targeted against any country\u201d, as he sought to clarify the purpose and scope of the pact amid growing discussion over the agreement. 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