Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have agreed to move ahead with plans for the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia as fighting in Yemen continues to intensify.
The decision was taken on Monday at an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Defence Alliance in Riyadh. The meeting brought together senior officials from the three countries to discuss the threats facing Saudi Arabia.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the members agreed to start putting the collective defence commitments of the Makkah agreement into practice. This includes making arrangements for the deployment of the military capabilities agreed under the pact.
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia continues to face attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The three countries also condemned attacks targeting Saudi cities and civilian and economic sites, while reaffirming their support for the kingdom’s security and territorial integrity.
Clashes continue in Yemen
The decision comes as a fresh military campaign is underway in Yemen.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced an operation on Sunday to regain territory held by the Houthis. Saudi forces have also been carrying out strikes in Yemen, while the Houthis have continued launching attacks towards Saudi Arabia.
According to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Saudi forces have made gains and recovered some areas during the latest clashes. He said Pakistani and Turkish forces currently have a supportive role, while Saudi troops are the ones involved in combat operations.
Pakistan has also been providing reconnaissance support, Asif said.
The situation has become particularly important because of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis have held large parts of Yemen, including territory along the Red Sea coast, since their advance in 2014.
The latest exchange of attacks has also reached Saudi territory. The Houthis have claimed attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, including one targeting an Aramco facility south of Riyadh, following Saudi strikes on Sanaa.
What does this mean for Pakistan?
For Islamabad, the latest development puts the Makkah defence agreement into a more practical phase.
The pact was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on August 7 and calls for an attack against one member to be treated as an attack against all three. Monday’s meeting was also used to formalise the alliance’s organisational structure.
Pakistan’s retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood was appointed as the alliance’s first secretary general for a three-year term.
Asif said the meeting was mainly focused on establishing the operational structure of the alliance. For now, he said, Pakistani and Turkish forces are playing a supporting role rather than taking part in combat operations.
The development follows an earlier meeting of the military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Riyadh on September 25, which was held after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan had already expressed strong support for Saudi Arabia’s security. In September, the military’s media wing said Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security was unconditional, while Asif had also said Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia if the situation escalated.
Yemen becomes another flashpoint
The developments in Yemen are unfolding as the wider region remains caught up in the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Al Jazeera reported that Yemen’s leadership had announced an operation to retake Houthi-held territory as tensions continued to spread across the region.
With attacks now involving Saudi territory and the Red Sea shipping route, there are growing concerns about the conflict opening up another front in an already unstable region.
For Pakistan, the situation also puts its new defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey under greater scrutiny. While Pakistani forces are currently described as playing a supportive role, the decision to prepare for rapid deployment shows that the Makkah pact is moving beyond an agreement on paper and towards an active defence framework.
Sources: Al Jazeera, and DAWN.
