Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have agreed to deploy military forces and capabilities rapidly in the kingdom, the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday following an emergency meeting of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh.
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Pakistan → agree → Riyadh
The three countries held an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) of the Makkah Defence Alliance to address the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia, the FO statement said.
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statement → hold → Arabia
The committee decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats,” it added.
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it → decide → threats
In an earlier statement on social media platform X, the FO said Pakistan’s delegation to the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) 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.
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delegation → say → Staff
“The meeting will also be attended by the respective ministers of foreign affairs, ministers of defence, as well as chiefs of general staff of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Republic of Türkiye,” FO added.
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FO → attend → Türkiye
It said that the member states will discuss “latest developments in the region and review ongoing cooperation under the framework of the Makkah Agreement”.
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states → say → Agreement
The FO added that Pakistan’s participation signified its “resolve to continue contributing towards regional peace and stability”.
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participation → add → peace
In another post, the FO said Dar arrived in Riyadh for the meeting and was received by Major General Othman Al-Zahrani of the Saudi military and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Farooq.
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Dar → say → Arabia
An earlier post said Dar had arrived in Madina ahead of the meeting, where he paid his respects at the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque and offered prayers.
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he → say → prayers
Last week, Dar confirmed the meeting while addressing a press briefing.
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Dar → confirm → briefing
He said the “emergency meeting” would focus on recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
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meeting → say → Arabia
The development comes as Yemen’s Saudi-led coalition government launched a major military campaign on Sunday to recapture territory held by the Houthis.
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government → come → Houthis
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis showed no signs of abating over the weekend, with the Houthis saying the kingdom had launched dozens of strikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, after which they attacked an Aramco facility with ballistic missiles and drones south of Riyadh.
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they → show → Riyadh
The foes have traded strikes since the Houthis seized all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait in a lightning offensive.
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Houthis → trade → offensive
Meanwhile, the defence pact, signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.
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pact → sign → them
The first meeting of the SPDC was held in Istanbul on Aug 31, during which it was decided that the alliance’s secretariat will be initially headed by Pakistan for three years.
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secretariat → hold → years
Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first secretary general of the alliance.
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Mahmood → retire → alliance
On Sept 25, the military chiefs of Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia met in Riyadh for urgently convened talks under the pact in light of the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
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chiefs → meet → Arabia
On Sept 18, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying Pakistan will go to “any extent” to defend the Gulf state, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security is “unconditional”.
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commitment → express → security
Defence minister Asif has also reaffirmed that Pakistan would “practically and diplomatically” stand by Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels if the situation escalated.
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situation → reaffirm → rebels
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