Islamabad agreed to the rapid troop deployment without a parliamentary vote, reversing a 2015 decision to keep Pakistan out of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, according to Reuters. This move, occurring 11 years after the previous vote, underscores the influence of Field Marshal Asim Munir over foreign policy. For its first operational use, the pact integrates the military assets of the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed state and one of NATO's largest militaries to bolster the Gulf's largest defense spender.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye Invoke Mecca Defense Pact for First Time
War12 days ago
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has confirmed that the Pakistani military is augmenting its presence in the Gulf to protect key Saudi infrastructure from missile strikes. The deployment of "substantial forces" in a defensive capacity follows the formal activation of the Mecca defense pact for the first time by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye. The alliance is responding to Houthi militia attacks targeting the Abha and King Khalid International airports in Riyadh, which resulted in civilian casualties.
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