Pakistan is urging Muslim nations to join a NATO-style collective defence arrangement based on a new defence pact signed in Mecca [1, 2].
This initiative represents a strategic effort to move toward a unified security architecture. By establishing a collective framework, the proposal seeks to consolidate military cooperation among Muslim-majority states to address shared regional threats.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the alliance should not be an exclusive club [3]. The proposal follows a recent defence agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan [1, 2]. This new push for an "Islamic NATO" builds upon a previous defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed one year ago [4].
The effort focuses on encouraging member states to put differences aside to ensure mutual security [1, 2]. The proposed framework would mirror the collective defence principles of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, where an attack on one member is viewed as an attack on all, a model designed to deter external aggression.
Officials said that the pact signed in Saudi Arabia serves as the foundation for this broader coalition [2, 3]. The initiative aims to transition from bilateral agreements toward a multilateral security system that can coordinate responses to crises across the Islamic world.
“Pakistan is urging Muslim nations to join a NATO-style collective defence arrangement”
The push for an 'Islamic NATO' signals a shift in Pakistani foreign policy toward championing a multilateral security bloc in the Middle East and Asia. If successful, this would create a formalized military alternative to Western-led security umbrellas, potentially altering the geopolitical balance of power in the region by institutionalizing military cooperation between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
