• The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye in 2026.
• It emerged in the aftermath of the US-Israel-Iran war and the Islamabad MoU ceasefire arrangement.
• The pact marks Saudi Arabia’s decisive pivot toward regional self-reliance in security matters.
• It was facilitated by Türkiye’s growing role as a regional power broker between the Gulf and South Asia.
• Pakistan views the pact as a major diplomatic and strategic rehabilitation after the Pahalgam crisis.

Defence and Security Commitments

• The three nations committed to mutual defence cooperation and joint military exercises under the pact.
• Pakistan is expected to provide ground force capabilities that Saudi Arabia lacks domestically.
• Türkiye brings advanced drone technology — including Bayraktar TB2 systems — and defence industrial capacity.
• Saudi Arabia contributes financial resources and strategic depth in the Gulf region.

Strategic Context

• Saudi Arabia has been diversifying away from exclusive US dependence since the 2017 Qatar blockade failure.
• The Islamabad MoU revealed that Oman and Qatar are closer to Iran than Saudi Arabia had assumed.
• Türkiye has been positioning itself as an indispensable mediator between multiple regional blocs simultaneously.
• Pakistan’s inclusion — despite FATF grey-listing history and economic fragility — reflects Saudi Arabia’s limited options.

Nuclear Dimension

• Saudi Arabia has long maintained it would seek nuclear capability if Iran acquires one.
• The Islamabad MoU’s Iran nuclear provisions have made Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions more urgent.
• Pakistan’s de facto status as an Islamic nuclear power makes it a potential strategic deterrent partner.

• Pakistan’s Fragility: Pakistan’s economic crisis, political instability and IMF dependency make it an unreliable pact partner.
• Türkiye’s NATO Membership: Türkiye’s obligations as a NATO member create inherent contradictions with the Makkah Pact framework.
• Saudi-Iran Normalisation: The 2023 China-brokered Saudi-Iran rapprochement complicates Saudi Arabia’s need for an anti-Iran security umbrella.
• US Pressure: Washington will apply significant diplomatic and financial pressure on Saudi Arabia to abandon the pact.
• Sunni-Shia Fault Line: The pact is implicitly Sunni-centric in a region where sectarian tensions remain dangerous and unresolved.
• Nuclear Proliferation Risk: The international community fears Pakistan facilitating Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions under the pact’s security umbrella.
• Gulf State Division: UAE and Qatar may not align with the Makkah Pact framework, creating Gulf Cooperation Council divisions.