August 7, 2026, has gone down in the annals of history as a memorable, historic, eventful and productive day. It was on this day that the top leadership of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan gathered in the Saudi Kingdom. All three countries are important, active and trustworthy members of the Islamic Ummah and have deep, warm and brotherly relations with each other.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif paid yet another two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) to deepen strategic ties amid ongoing regional tensions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reached the Saudi capital at the invitation of MBS. The three leaders held bilateral and collective deliberations in a free, frank and useful manner in Makkah, focusing mainly on prevailing regional tensions and persisting threats to regional peace and stability.
The most positive and welcome outcome of their deliberations was the signing of what has come to be known as the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. It is a trilateral mutual defence pact which categorically states that an armed attack against any one of the three nations will be considered an attack against all of them. The agreement was a major step forward following the bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, signed in September 2025.
The core goals of the historic joint defence agreement are collective security and military cooperation. Collective security pertains to establishing a mutual defence framework whereby a strike on one country will trigger a collective response, while military cooperation consists of deepening intelligence sharing, joint military cooperation and defence-industrial collaboration.
By signing the landmark Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have deepened their trilateral strategic ties. The top leadership of the three countries has categorically and emphatically vowed that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all, while reaffirming their commitment to regional peace and stability. The agreement has strengthened collective deterrence, defence cooperation and security amid escalating regional tensions and has further deepened the long-standing military ties among these three brotherly countries.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement duly reflects the depth of the brotherly relations between the leadership and peoples of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan. It was the culmination of prolonged discussions and coordination spread over many years, driven by a common desire to strengthen strategic cooperation, address multifaceted peace and security challenges, and advance regional peace, stability and prosperity.
According to information gathered from official sources regarding possible implications and complications, the Makkah Accord has neither abrogated nor replaced any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between these three countries, or with other countries or organisations. Any external armed attack on one of the three signatory countries will be considered and treated as an attack on all, consistent with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
The historic joint defence agreement is purely defensive in nature and is not targeted against any country. Its sole purpose is to further strengthen ongoing efforts to ensure and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East region and beyond. The Makkah Accord is also open to regional countries willing to uphold its fundamental principles and resolve differences through mutual respect, cooperation and peaceful means.
Within a couple of days of the signing of the historic Makkah Accord, reports surfaced that Egypt may become the fourth country to join Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan. If such developments materialize, the agreement could further enhance collective security cooperation among important regional countries.
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, to say the least, are three brotherly nations with one collective shield. They are united by faith, bound by friendship committed to peace, and unwaveringly dedicated to peace, security and stability. They stand together for their people, their region and their future.
The historic Makkah Accord was signed at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah, where the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence was held. During the summit, the warm, brotherly and trustworthy relations between the three countries were reviewed, along with a number of issues of mutual interest. The agreement is consistent with the fundamental pillars of Pakistan’s foreign policy, while the country’s civil and military leadership remains committed to working closely with all brotherly countries in the region towards lasting peace and stability.
Pakistan remains committed to advancing the cause of peaceful solutions to all conflicts, including the long-unresolved Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine disputes, thereby building a more secure, stable and prosperous future for its people and for all peace-loving countries, particularly in the Islamic world and beyond.
It was also appreciable that Pakistan did not delay in taking the Iranian leadership into confidence and apprising it of the objectives and main points of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who signed the purposeful agreement, has emphatically stated that the Makkah Joint Defence Pact heralds regional peace and Muslim unity and is purely defensive, not aimed against any country. He made these remarks while addressing a Federal Cabinet meeting in Islamabad.
Chief of Defence Forces/Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who accompanied the Prime Minister on his historic visit to Saudi Arabia, along with other officials, deserves due credit for playing an important and pivotal role in the finalisation and signing of the Tri-Nations Joint Defence Accord. He was also actively involved in the formulation and signing of the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025.
The Makkah Joint Defence Accord continues to be discussed and hailed by people at large and political party leadership, as it augurs well for peace, security and stability in the region in general and the three signatory countries — Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan — in particular.
The people of Pakistan have a special religious and emotional attachment to Saudi Arabia, where the two holiest places of the Islamic world, Makkah and Madina Munawwara, are located. This bond gives the Makkah Accord an added significance for Pakistanis.
More about the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement will emerge as its different aspects continue to be discussed, debated and analyzed not only in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye but across the world. The accord has the potential to forge greater unity among Muslim countries and strengthen collective efforts for peace, security and stability.
INSHALLAH.
The writer is a Lahore-based columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad. ( [email protected].)
