Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif and Field Marshal Munir to attend Makkah Agreement meeting: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership will travel to Riyadh on Monday for a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) set up under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, as the three-nation alliance moves from paper to practice amid rising regional tensions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will represent Pakistan at the October 5 meeting, according to the Foreign Office.

The meeting will bring together senior political and military officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, including the foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu were expected to attend alongside their Pakistani and Saudi counterparts.

What is on the agenda?

The Foreign Office said the participants would discuss the latest regional developments and review ongoing cooperation under the Makkah framework. The Turkish foreign ministry said the meeting would also review progress in institutionalising the alliance.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s participation reflected its resolve to keep contributing to regional peace and stability. The delegation is expected to engage with its Saudi and Turkish counterparts on regional security and defence cooperation. The Foreign Office statement did not specify which regional issues would be raised.

Regional backdrop

The meeting comes amid heightened tensions, including renewed fighting in Yemen and attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s foreign minister said Iran had proposed political engagement with the Houthis, an issue expected to be discussed by the committee.

The agreement is being operationalised through the SPDC, which serves as a forum for consultations on regional developments and ongoing cooperation. Pakistan appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the pact’s first secretary general in September.

The Foreign Office has said Islamabad remains committed to implementing the agreement, while stressing that operational details regarding any response to threats will remain confidential.