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Assessing ramifications of new defence pact between Pak, Türkiye and Saudi: MEA
The three Sunni Muslim countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7 that builds on a bilateral defence pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
India said on Tuesday that it is assessing the ramifications of a joint defence agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye for the country’s national security and regional stability, and will take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its national interests.
The three Sunni Muslim countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Makkah on August 7, following a meeting between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The pact builds on a bilateral mutual defence agreement concluded by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year.
When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the trilateral pact at a regular media briefing, he said India is closely following all “developments in the West Asia conflict” and will act to protect the country’s national interests.
“As far as this particular agreement is concerned, we are examining its implications, both from the perspective of our national security, as well as considerations of regional peace and stability,” Jaiswal said.
“India remains fully committed to safeguarding its national interests and will take all necessary measures in this regard,” he said, without going into details.
When Pakistan and Saudi Arabia concluded their mutual defence pact in September 2025, the Indian government said it would take all steps to protect the country’s national interests and ensure comprehensive national security in all domains, reflecting New Delhi’s concerns over the development. Saudi Arabia’s growing military proximity to Pakistan against the backdrop of the West Asia conflict has not gone down well in New Delhi, people familiar with the matter said.
A joint statement issued by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on Friday said the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement builds on shared strategic interests and longstanding defence cooperation. The pact also reflects the shared commitment of the three countries to strengthen their collective security and promote peace, security and stability in the region.
“The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three states,” the joint statement said.
Jaiswal responded to separate questions on events organised in different part of the world to mark the “independence” of Pakistan’s Balochistan province and the violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by urging the world community to hold Pakistan accountable for human rights violations and atrocities.
“We continue to follow developments across the world. At the same time, I would like to highlight that we have seen the kind of human rights violations that were committed in PoK and other parts of that country. We call on the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds, abuses and flagrant violation of human rights, including of all its people,” he said.
Over the past few months, large-scale protests in PoK related to elections to the local assembly had led to a situation where “public discontent was answered with bullets, blackouts, repression and oppression”, Jaiswal said. More than 90 people were killed and many more injured in the violence, and the international community needs to hold Pakistan to account for the mass violation of human rights, he said.
Jaiswal said that there has been no change in India’s policy towards Pakistan. “We are where we were earlier. I need not emphasise which country is responsible for cross-border terrorism and which is the epicentre of terrorism, and where the action lies for stopping cross-border terrorism,” he said.
