Islamabad, Oct 5: Pakistan’s top defence and military officials will attend a high-level meeting of the trilateral Makkah alliance in Riyadh on Monday to discuss regional developments, amid raging tensions following attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on Saudi Arabia.
The trilateral defence agreement, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in August, establishes a framework for collective deterrence and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of them would be regarded as an attack against all.
In a statement, the Foreign Office confirmed that Pakistan’s delegation to the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) 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.
Their counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Türkiye were attending the key huddle.
It said that the member states will discuss “latest developments in the region and review ongoing cooperation under the framework of the Makkah Agreement”.
The FO said that Pakistan’s participation signified its “resolve to continue contributing towards regional peace and stability”.
The meeting comes after repeated attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia.
Dar, who has already reached Riyadh for the meeting, said last week that the discussions would focus on Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The SPDC is a key organ of the Makkah pact and comprises the foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of army staff of the three members.
Last month, the chiefs of defence forces and chiefs of general staff of the three countries met in Riyadh and reviewed the security situation and the threats facing Saudi Arabia.
Also, the foreign ministers of the three countries met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York last month and discussed the challenges faced by the kingdom.
Pakistan has recently appointed former Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary-general of the trilateral alliance. (PTI)
