Makkah defence pact has reached point of implementation: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khwaja Asif on Wednesday said that the situation has already reached to implement the Makkah Defence Alliance amid the rising Houthis attacks on Saudi Arabia and vowed that both Pakistan and Türkiye would stand with Saudi Arabia practically and diplomatically in case of any aggression.

The statement came a day after Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah on Tuesday before ​it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city. The Saudi-led coalition said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line,” vowing that the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks.

Talking to a private television programme, Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Sath, the minister vowed to defend the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, describing the protection of the sites as an “eternal agreement” and saying Pakistan would respond to any attack on the sacred cities regardless of whether there was a formal agreement.

He said that even in the absence of an agreement, Pakistan would be bound to protect Saudi Arabia, particularly if the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah came under attack.

Read: Makkah defence pact has no regional aspirations, aimed at collective deterrence: DG ISPR

“If there wasn’t an agreement, if Saudi Arabia had been attacked, especially if the sacred cities of Makkah and Madinah were attacked, then we are bound by an eternal agreement; that is, we will protect the House of God and Madinah,” he said.

“Their protection is our religious obligation. So yes, there are worldly agreements, and they have their sanctity, which we also honour, but if an attack takes place on the House of God or the place where the Prophet (PBUH) was born, then no Muslim sitting anywhere would ultimately need to wait for any agreement. This is our religious duty — to protect it,” he added.

However, Asif said the “worldly agreement” between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to protect one another would operate in all circumstances, referring to the Makkah Defence Alliance.

He said the agreement was mutual, under which if one of the three countries came under attack, all three would defend it.

“It’s a mutual agreement where if someone attacks one country, then all three countries, under this mutual agreement, will defend it,” he said, adding that there was “absolutely no ambiguity” as both dimensions applied to Pakistan.

He said the defence agreement clearly stated that if the geographical boundaries of any country in the trilateral agreement were violated, the provision would apply to the other two countries, requiring all three to jointly confront the aggression.

“I think the situation has already arrived and if the situation escalates, definitely both Pakistan and Türkiye, in clear terms, will stand with Saudi Arabia practically and diplomatically,” he said.

Also Read: No military response discussed under Makkah defence pact over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia: FO

Asked whether this would deteriorate relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Asif said Iran would not damage its relations with other countries because of a third party, regardless of any sympathies or affiliations it might have with that party.

“In Yemen, if there is a conflict and if Iran is taking someone’s side, then it will not jeopardise its relations with other countries because of that particular group fighting in Yemen,” he said, adding that if this happened, it would be a diplomatic error.

Asked whether, given the recent rise in attacks, the three countries were discussing any joint response, the minister declined to comment.

“We can’t openly discuss any defence or military strategy,” he said, adding that Pakistan was bound by the agreement and would fulfil its obligations.

“If anyone attacks the House of God, there is no need to ask anyone or wait for any agreement. Defending it is the first and last part of our faith,” the minister said.

Responding to a question, he said he did not think Iran, as a state, would support the Houthis and open another front since it was already embroiled in a conflict in the region.

“Such informal arrangements like the Houthis do not wait for any sanctions, approval or support. If they see any vulnerability, they push it,” he said, adding that Saudi Arabia would deal with such a situation as it concerned its territorial integrity.

Talking about the US-Iran war, he said that when the war started, it became clear within the first one-and-a-half to two months that the plan would not work, and the following four to five months had proved that it had failed.

“Israel had calculatedly sucked the United States into this, and the US directly assumed the role of a combatant. Ultimately, they reached a situation where the world and the region should realise that Israel is the real enemy,” he said, adding that the situation would persist as long as Israel was not confronted through a joint alliance.

Calling Israel a threat, he said that even if the US was sucked into the conflict, the Zionist lobby forced it to come to the region.

“I think the biggest threat to global peace and to this region is Israel,” he said.

Read More: Houthi blitz leaves Saudi Arabia exposed, Iran emboldened

Earlier today, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the defence alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye has no regional aspirations and is purely defensive in nature, to ensure collective deterrence.

Speaking to Al-Arabiya English during a special interview, the spokesperson said the agreement was based on collective deterrence and had “no offensive, no interference, no aggressive element” and was purely defensive in nature.

“There is nothing aggressive. There are no regional aspirations. It is a collective deterrence, and it is complementary because all these countries have independent relations with other alliances, other countries, other blocks,” he said, adding that the mutual defence agreement was complementary in nature and did not compete with any other.

He also rebuffed the idea of calling it a “Muslim alliance”, saying it was a regional stability alliance.

“It’s not a club that has been made for Muslim countries only,” he said, adding that it was up to the leadership of the three countries to decide how and when to expand the alliance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on August 7.

Signed by Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia based on shared responsibility and regional ownership amid growing regional and global instability, the agreement aims to promote security, peace, stability and prosperity while strengthening collective deterrence.

The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the signatory states will be considered an attack against all parties.

It also seeks to foster a new culture of regional cooperation and remains open to the participation of actors that respect international law and share a vision of peaceful cooperation.