Perhaps because I do interviews, I tend to think of developments in terms of the questions they raise. I am aware the process leads to a certain scepticism or, even, cynicism, but it also gets you to the core issues faster. So, what are the questions we should ask about the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan, concluded on August 7? Let’s see if the questions I ask are of help.

The Mecca pact seeks to combine Türkiye’s military production infrastructure, Saudi Arabia’s financial strength and Pakistan’s nuclear armoury. The agreement states that an armed attack on one would be considered an attack on all. However, the three countries have also declared that their pact is not targeted at any specific country. It’s meant to provide collective deterrence.

The first question is who would that deterrence be directed at? In Saudi Arabia’s case, it must be Israel and Iran. For the Turks, it is bound to be Israel and its predatory behaviour in West Asia. For Pakistan, the key focus is, undoubtedly, India. We must not lose sight of this........

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