Makkah Defence Pact Reaches Implementation Stage Amid Middle East Escalation, Says Defence Minister

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has declared that the Makkah defence pact has reached the point of implementation, following a dangerous escalation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian military bases.

Tensions in the Persian Gulf have placed Pakistan on high alert as the regional conflict threatens to spill over into broader geopolitical instability. Following drone and missile strikes by Houthi forces targeting the King Khalid air base in Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that the time to implement the Makkah defence pact has arrived.

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The agreement, historically designed to ensure collective deterrence, binds Pakistan to the defense of Saudi territorial integrity, particularly the holy cities. While military officials, including the DG ISPR, maintain that the pact has “no regional aspirations” beyond collective defense, the statement underscores Islamabad’s deepening military commitment to Riyadh amid the crisis.

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Compounding the crisis is a severe threat to Pakistan’s energy supply chain. The petroleum minister warned that any attack on a Pakistani oil tanker currently stranded near a shut-down Saudi pipeline would be considered an ‘act of war.’ With domestic diesel stocks critically low and global oil prices fluctuating, the government has announced it may move to fix fuel prices on a daily basis to manage the economic fallout.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Pakistan will stand by the Kingdom both “practically and diplomatically.” However, diplomatic sources at the UN have cautioned that the Middle East is at a “dangerous juncture,” urging international mechanisms to step in before the conflict disrupts global shipping and energy markets further.

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