Information ministry rejects Reuters report on Makkah defence pact as 'speculative'

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday rejected what it described as “speculative” reporting by Reuters on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, saying operational details concerning the implementation of the collective deterrence mechanism were confidential.

The ministry’s fact-check followed a Reuters report published on October 2 which said Pakistan had deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom’s land borders and assist with drone and missile interceptions, citing a Pakistani official. Reuters reported that Islamabad had not decided to send troops into Yemen in a fighting capacity.

In a statement issued today, the ministry reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the security of Saudi Arabia and the Haramain Sharifain — Islam’s two holiest mosques in Makkah and Madina — describing that commitment as “non-negotiable”.

"Having taken note of speculative reports by Reuters on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, it is reiterated that Pakistan has already made Pakistan’s commitment to the security of Haramain Sharifain and KSA abundantly clear, which is non-negotiable," said the statement.

The ministry urged against relying on “highly speculative reports based on non-attributable and unknown sources”, saying Reuters should instead refer to official statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other authorities.

“Queries, if any, may be referred to them instead of coming out with invented numbers and details,” it said.

The ministry's fact-check came a day after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed to move immediately towards implementing their collective defence commitments and deploying agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defence in Riyadh on October 5.

Under the decision, the committee directed the necessary measures to provide the agreed forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia, in accordance with approved arrangements and the national legislation of the three countries. It said the move would enhance “readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats”.

On August 7, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye formalised their longstanding strategic relationship through the newly signed MJDA, a trilateral security framework that its proponents describe as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, enhancing military cooperation and promoting regional stability.

Houthi attacks

Houthis have repeatedly carried out missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia since the Yemen war escalated in 2015, targeting military installations, airports, oil facilities and other critical infrastructure.

In September 2019, the group claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq processing facility and Khurais oil field, attacks that temporarily disrupted more than half of Saudi Arabia’s crude production.

The attacks continued in subsequent years, including strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure in March 2022.

More recently, Houthi attacks have again targeted Saudi territory. In September, the group claimed missile and drone strikes on a Saudi military base and other targets, while Saudi authorities reported attacks affecting several cities.

It is worth noting that on September 25, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye senior military leadership strongly condemned attacks targeting the holy city of Makkah as they reaffirmed their commitment to the collective defence of the Kingdom under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.

Read: Makkah defence alliance agrees to 'rapid force deployment' in Saudi Arabia: FO

A day after that, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman reaffirmed continued joint efforts to confront attacks targeting Makkah and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom during a meeting with the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Then, on September 27, Defence Minister Asif also reiterated the resolve to implement the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement amid the rising Houthis attacks on Saudi Arabia and said that both Pakistan and Türkiye would stand with Saudi Arabia practically and diplomatically in case of any aggression.

Asif further stressed that protecting Saudi Arabia fell under divine duty.

"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 stated in an interview to a private channel.

He also outlined that the "worldly agreement" referring to the MJDA between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye to protect one another, would operate in all circumstances.

Significance of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement

The MJDA was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence.

The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Turkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans.

For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact is built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.