Pakistan will provide the first secretary-general for the Makkah Defence Pact secretariat for a three-year term [1].
The agreement establishes a formal collective-security framework among three founding signatories: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan [2]. By treating an attack on one member as an attack on all, the pact creates a mutual defense shield across key regions of the Middle East and South Asia.
Announced in early August 2026, the appointment of the Pakistani lead begins immediately [1, 4]. The secretariat will be based in Makkah, Saudi Arabia [3]. This administrative hub will oversee the coordination of the pact's purely defensive operations.
Officials said that the arrangement is not intended as an offensive tool. "The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is purely defensive and not targeting any country," said Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
The pact is open to other regional countries that uphold its core principles. Turkey's Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, said the Makkah Defence Pact could expand to include other regional countries, with Egypt emerging as a potential member.
While the initial leadership is set for three years [1], the long-term structure of the secretariat remains under development. The founding members intend for the pact to serve as a stabilizer in a volatile geopolitical landscape, ensuring that member states have guaranteed support in the event of external aggression.
Representatives for the agreement said that they will establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia, initially headed by a Pakistani secretary-general for three years [3].
“"The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is purely defensive and not targeting any country."”
The formation of the Makkah Defence Pact signals a shift toward independent security architectures among major Islamic nations. By creating a mutual defense treaty separate from Western-led alliances, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are consolidating regional military cooperation to reduce reliance on external superpowers for security guarantees.
