Deputy Prime Minister says the three-member alliance is defensive in nature, while new membership requests will be considered after its mechanisms become operational.
WEB DESK: More than six countries have expressed interest in joining the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Dar did not identify the countries that have expressed interest in joining the agreement.
He said the pact is defensive in nature and is not intended to serve an offensive purpose.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are founding members
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in Makkah on August 7, 2026.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has described the agreement as a framework aimed at strengthening cooperation, collective deterrence and defence among the three countries.
The agreement provides that an armed attack against one of the three parties will be regarded as an attack against all, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
The Foreign Office has also said the agreement is intended to contribute to regional peace and stability.
More than six countries interested
Dar said more than six countries are keen to join the Makkah Defence Pact.
However, he said new membership requests cannot yet be considered because the agreement’s institutional mechanisms are still being established.
Reuters reported that Dar said the process of making the pact fully operational could take up to a year.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office had previously said the agreement remained open to countries that share its commitments and common security interests, with any formal request to be considered in consultation with Pakistan’s partners in Riyadh and Ankara.
Dar did not provide a list of the countries interested in joining.
Pact described as defensive
Dar reiterated that the Makkah agreement is defensive rather than offensive.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has similarly said the pact is designed to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression and reinforce the participating countries’ ability to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The three countries have also begun building institutional mechanisms for the agreement.
A Strategic Political and Defence Committee comprising foreign ministers, defence ministers and military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31.
Secretariat to be established in Saudi Arabia
The three countries agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia to support the agreement’s work.
According to a joint statement issued after the Istanbul meeting, the secretariat will initially be headed by a secretary general from Pakistan for three years.
The Foreign Office later confirmed that the secretariat and other committees and working groups were being developed as part of the pact’s institutionalisation.
Emergency meeting planned
Dar also said an emergency meeting under the Makkah agreement would be held next week to review the security situation in Saudi Arabia.
He said Saudi Arabia had faced a series of attacks and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the defence agreement.
“We are bound to defend Saudi Arabia,” Dar said, according to Geo News.
The three countries’ foreign ministers had already discussed regional developments during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the ministers discussed preparations for the agreement’s committees and condemned attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.
What does the pact mean for new members?
The agreement’s expansion remains subject to its existing institutional framework.
Dar said countries interested in joining cannot have their requests formally considered until the pact is operational.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has previously stated that the agreement is open to countries that share its commitments and common security interests, with formal requests to be considered in consultation with the three founding partners.
For now, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye remain the three members publicly identified by the participating governments.
Dar also discusses Strait of Hormuz
During the same press conference, Dar said Pakistan’s position remained that ships should be able to cross the Strait of Hormuz without fees, service charges, tolls, permits or permissions.
He said Pakistan was continuing diplomatic efforts concerning the regional crisis and had raised the issue of an LNG vessel’s passage with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Dar also said Iran had suggested political engagement with the Houthis rather than military action, describing the suggestion as advice offered in good faith. He stressed that any decision by the Makkah alliance would have to be taken collectively by its three members.
The details of any future military response under the pact, including questions about specific operations or parliamentary procedures, were not elaborated on by Dar.
