A day after Saudi Arabia found itself under Houthi attack when the militant group sent drones to its holy city of Mecca, questions are being raised about whether or not the Mecca Pact, a joint defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, would be activated.
The tripartite agreement was signed on August 7 and is based on a principle similar to NATO's Article 5, according to which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Pakistan, the key member of the pact who has been maintaining that the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement could be contemplating some action, according to the words of its Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Islamabad, which has been stating that the pact had no offensive or aggressive purpose, stated on Wednesday that the situation had reached a point where the Makkah agreement had to be implemented.
His statement came a day after Saudi Arabia claimed a Houthi drone heading towards Mecca was neutralised by its forces.
“The Mecca agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty,” Asif said, adding that Pakistan was bound by the agreement, but he could not go into its details.
He said Pakistan did not need an agreement to protect the holy sites, stressing that safeguarding them was a duty even in the absence of the Mecca agreement. "If Makkah is attacked, there is no need for an agreement to protect it," Asif said.
Interestingly, the other party in the agreement - Turkey - too is mum on the issue. However, Turkish official claim they have a legal hindrance with regard to helping Saudi Arabia.
According to the official, Turkey has not yet submitted the agreement for parliamentary approval and may not do so until October. Pakistan is also required to complete an internal approval process, while Saudi Arabia can approve it by royal decree. Furthermore, the three countries have not yet formulated joint defence and readiness plans, rules of operation or mechanisms for coordination between their militaries. "This may take several years," the Turkish official admitted.
According to experts, even after the alliance comes into force, an attack on one of the members will not automatically lead to a military response. Saudi Arabia will have to submit a formal request; the three countries will enter into consultations and decide on the type of assistance. Riyadh has not yet submitted such a request.
