Pakistan Says Mecca Defence Pact Is Purely Defensive Amid Houthi Attacks

Pakistan's military has described its newly formed defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a purely defensive arrangement with no aggressive element, as the agreement faces scrutiny amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the military spokesperson, made the remarks in an interview on September 15, stating the pact is based on collective deterrence and has no regional aspirations. The Mecca defence pact was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye on August 7. Under its terms, an armed attack on any one of the three countries is to be treated as an attack against all three. The alliance held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31, where it was decided that Pakistan would initially head the secretariat for a three-year term. Chaudhry emphasized that the agreement formalizes longstanding defence relationships among the three nations and is complementary to their existing military partnerships. "It is defensive. There's nothing aggressive. There are no regional aspirations. It is collective deterrence," he said.