ISLAMABAD, OCT 5: Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, will attend the meeting of Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC), established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, today (Monday).

In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said the meeting will also be attended by the respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs, ministers of defence, as well as chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

The meeting will discuss the latest developments in the region and review ongoing cooperation under the framework of the Makkah agreement.

Pakistan’s participation in the meeting signifies Pakistan’s resolve to continue contributing towards regional peace and stability, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday also confirmed that the committee established under the Makkah defence pact between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia will meet in Riyadh on Monday.

“The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalisation efforts,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and ⁠chief of the general staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would attend the meeting of the ⁠pact’s strategic political and defence committee, along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed the Makkah trilateral agreement on August 7, which provides for collective security and defence cooperation among the three states.

The pact — later named the Makkah Defence Alliance — stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them.

The Houthis have carried out repeated missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia since announcing a naval blockade on the Kingdom in July. The group has targeted Saudi-linked vessels operating in the Red Sea as part of its campaign, further escalating tensions in the region.

The Houthis also targeted Saudi airports, energy facilities and other strategic infrastructure, with the Kingdom’s air defence systems intercepting many of the projectiles.

Earlier on October 2, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that an emergency meeting under the Makkah agreement would be held next week to review the latest situation in Saudi Arabia, adding that the kingdom had faced 17 to 18 attacks.

“We are bound to defend Saudi Arabia,” Dar said, adding that the UN Charter also allowed such alliances to take action.

Last week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also condemned Yemen’s Houthi group for carrying out attacks against the Kingdom and said that Pakistan had no doubt that the Houthis were committing aggression against Saudi Arabia, reiterating that Islamabad would stand by Riyadh against any threat.

“Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia against any threat. Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan,” he added.