THE Makkah Accord signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7, 2026 marked a significant development in the evolving security architect of Middle East and South Asia. The Agreement seeks to strengthen the collective security of three states, where attack on one of the three states would be considered as an attack against them all, creating a collective defence framework. The Makkah Joint Defence Pact should not be viewed as a sudden creation of military bloc but an institutionalization of longstanding historic ties and intensifying diplomatic and defence relationships among the three states. For India, significance of the pact lies in something more consequential. The future crisis with Pakistan could no longer remain confined to the traditional India-Pakistan military equation as the pact introduces new strategic variables. Though the Accord does not necessarily represent an anti-India alliance, but it could make future India-Pakistan crises more complicated, less predictable and potentially more difficult to contain. Even if Riyadh and Ankara have no intention of getting involved, confusion about what qualifies as an “attack” on Pakistan could confound India’s calculations during a future India-Pakistan crisis.

The Agreement........

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