2026-10-08 · Times of India
🔮 The Mecca defence pact signed by Pakistan with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in August was invoked for the first time on Monday, amid increasing Houthi attacks on the Saudi kingdom.
According to Reuters, the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is based on a 2025 Saudi-Pakistani pact under which Pakistan had sent about 8,000 troops to the kingdom by May.
Pakistan's information ministry said the alliance "has gone through all necessary government procedures".
However, it did not clarify if the cabinet or parliament was involved, calling details of the deployment "a matter of operational confidentiality."
Senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, Michael Kugelman, told Reuters that Pakistan is currently in a different era, with a comparatively weaker parliament. assertive