Pakistan, Aug. 30 -- The signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan on 7 August 2026, in Islam's holiest city- Mecca- undoubtedly marks a 'historic day' for global politics.

The defence agreement, however, had been among the most 'hoped-for' initiatives across the Muslim world, as the signatories- Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan- have agreed that an armed attack against one signatory will be regarded as an attack against all three, while also stressing that the pact is genuinely defensive in nature and does not target any country that does not attack its signatories.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described its collective-defence principle as technically comparable to NATO's Article 5...