RIYADH (The Thursday Times) — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia aur Türkiye ne Riyadh mein 5 October ko hone wale hangami ijlas mein Makkah Alliance for Defense ke teht "mushtarka difai wabastagiyon ke amali nifaz ki taraf fori taur par barhne" ka faisla kiya, muzakrat ke baad jari hone wale mushtarka bayan ke mutabiq.
Strategic Political and Defense Committee, jis mein teenon mulkon ke wuzara-e-kharja, wuzara-e-difa aur fauji sarbarahan shamil hain, ne "Saltanat-e-Saudi Arabia ko darpesh amni peshraft aur khatraat" par ghaur ke liye ijlas kiya. Committee ne "tai shuda fauji quwwatein aur salahiyatein faraham karne aur manzoor shuda intizamat aur fareeqain ke qaumi qawaneen ke mutabiq Saltanat mein un ki tez tainaati yaqeeni banane ke liye zaroori iqdamat karne" par ittefaq kiya.
Fareeqain ne tasdeeq ki ke "har fareeq ki salamati teenon mulkon ki mushtarka salamati ka aham juz hai," aur yeh ke Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense ko amali shakl dena "bazdaari ki taseer ko mazboot karta hai." Saudi Wazir-e-Difa Prince Khalid bin Salman ne X par kaha ke committee ne "hamlon aur un ke tamam zimmedaron ke jawab mein Alliance ke daira-e-kaar mein mushtarka bazdaari iqdamat faal karne par ittefaq kiya," jaisa ke ANI ne naql kiya.
Teenon mulkon ne "Makkah aur Madinah ko nishana banane ki koshish ki sakht tareen alfaz mein mazammat ki," saath hi "Saltanat mein shehron aur shehri wa maeeshati tasisaat ko nishana banane wale musalsal hamlon" ki bhi mazammat ki. Bayan mein zimmedaron ka naam nahin liya gaya. Saudi Arabia aur Yemen mein us ki qiyadat mein kaam karne wale ittehad ne haliya hamlon, jin mein Madinah mein Masjid-e-Nabawi ko bijli faraham karne wale bijli ghar par drone hamla bhi shamil hai, ko Houthis se mansoob kiya hai.
Pakistan and Türkiye “commended the vigilance and readiness of the Saudi Armed Forces,” as well as their “professionalism and high level of competence” in countering the threats. Pakistan’s delegation, according to the Foreign Office, included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly pledged in recent weeks to defend Saudi Arabia and the holy cities. After the attempted drone attack on Makkah, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan “stands unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the defence of its sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as for the security and sanctity of the Haramain Sharifain.” DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Arab News that Pakistan “fully stands with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically,” and described its commitment to Saudi security as unconditional. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in Rome that “whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also.
The committee also appointed Lieutenant General (retd) Nauman Mahmood of Pakistan as the alliance’s first Secretary-General for a three-year term. Pakistan had announced his selection on 23 September. The secretariat is to be based in Riyadh.
The meeting follows the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye on 7 August, the committee’s first meeting in Istanbul on 31 August, and a meeting of the three countries’ army chiefs in Riyadh on 25 September. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on 19 September that Ankara would have “no difficulty” meeting Saudi Arabia’s military needs under the pact.
