Bangladesh, Sept. 2 -- The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on 7 August 2026 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, may mark an important development in the security architecture of the Muslim world and the wider distribution of strategic power.

Its central provision that an armed attack against one member shall be regarded as an attack against all resembles NATO's Article 5 collective-defence principle. Yet describing it as an "Islamic NATO" would be premature.

Its institutional structure, strategic objectives, geographical scope and decision-making mechanisms remain far less developed than NATO's.

Nevertheless, the combination of nuclear-armed Pakistan, economically powerful Saudi Arabia and militarily sophisticated Turkey give...