Sep 17, 2026 13:26 pm IST

Opinion | Saudi Allies Are Now Discovering The Cost Of 'Commitment' - And Not Liking It

The spectacular no-show by Saudi Arabia's two defence allies - Pakistan, a nuclear power, and Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army - is astounding

Aditi Bhaduri Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Finally, though rather swiftly, the Mecca Defence Agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Pakistan, and Turkey has been revealed. It's not coming apart, per se, but it has been revealed for what it is, or rather, what it is not: a defence pact in the manner of NATO, as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had boastfully described. That, of course, was a non-starter, since Turkey, a NATO member, does not have the liberty to join another military bloc simultaneously. Nonetheless, the grouping had the blessings of the US, which, under President Donald Trump, is looking across the globe to share its burdens.

Of course, no one really expected either Pakistan or Turkey to jump into battle with a strike on the Kingdom because the pact is essentially that - a security hedge for Saudi Arabia. Since the Iran war began and Saudi Arabia and its critical infrastructure came under sustained attacks, Pakistan, which had a year earlier concluded a mutual defence agreement with it, did not jump into any combat role. While it did station troops, fighter air rafts and weaponry on Saudi soil, it instead opted for mediation between the US and Iran. The Mecca agreement, which expanded this arrangement to include Turkey, was built on the 2025 Saudi-Pakistan defence pact.

However, the attacks that the Houthis have launched against Saudi Arabia since last week have busted the myth of a mutual defence arrangement. If they began the attacks to test the pact, then they now have full confirmation that it remains just a paper tiger. For, the attacks have targeted not just Saudi territory but also critical and strategic infrastructure, including the East West Pipeline,........

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