Hyderabad, Aug. 8 -- Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on Friday, August 7, under which an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement during a summit in Makkah.

The agreement follows nearly a year of negotiations and comes at a time of heightened regional insecurity. The three countries have described it as a defensive arrangement and said it is not directed against any particular country.

Why was the agreement signed now?

The pact was concluded as the security situa...