Bangladesh, Sept. 5 -- The emerging strategic partnership between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia could develop into something far more consequential than a defense arrangement. Beyond its immediate political and security dimensions, the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement has the potential to become a bridge connecting the Middle East, South Asia and the wider Asian institutional landscape.

That possibility was highlighted by the striking sequence of events surrounding Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dars recent diplomatic travel. After attending the first institutional meeting of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement in Istanbul, Dar traveled to Bishkek on the same aircraft as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Yasar ...