Saudi Arabia Activates Mecca Pact: Can Pakistan Be Trusted To Fight?

Saudi Arabia has activated the Mecca (Makkah) Joint Defence Agreement with Türkiye and Pakistan — turning a recently signed pact into an operational security framework at a critical moment for the Middle East. The move comes amid escalating Houthi attacks, intensifying fighting along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and a reported strike on power infrastructure in Medina that temporarily disrupted supplies serving the outer perimeter of the Prophet’s Mosque. So why has Riyadh activated the pact now? And is this the beginning of a new Muslim-majority security architecture in the Gulf? The alliance brings together Saudi Arabia’s strategic geography and military infrastructure, Türkiye’s defence technology and Pakistan’s large military and longstanding security relationship with Riyadh. But there is a major question hanging over the pact: will Pakistan actually commit forces if Saudi Arabia comes under sustained attack? Until now, the Mecca Alliance has largely been a political commitment — a potential paper tiger whose real military credibility remains untested. With Iran-aligned Houthis under the spotlight, the Red Sea becoming increasingly volatile and Western powers watching closely, the activation could reshape the region’s security calculations. Watch the full analysis to understand what the Mecca Pact means for Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Iran and the wider Middle East.