Pakistan, Saudi, Türkiye Leaders Pray Together; Defence Pact Details Emerge
At a glance
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered Friday prayers in Makkah.
- Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was also present during the prayers at Qasr Al-Safa.
- The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement reportedly includes a collective defence clause similar to NATO's Article 5.
Story so far
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by a high-level Pakistani delegation including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, performed Umrah in Makkah. He held a bilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Safa Palace, focusing on strengthening relations and regional issues. Following these engagements, PM Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir offered Friday prayers together at Qasr Al-Safa, a royal palace near the Grand Mosque in Makkah. This occurred after the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which reportedly includes a collective defence clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, committing the three nations to mutual defence.
Latest development
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered Friday prayers together at Qasr Al-Safa in Makkah. This gathering follows the signing of the Makkah Defence Agreement, which reportedly includes a collective defence clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, signifying a major shift in regional security cooperation.
Latest updates
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered Friday prayers together at Qasr Al-Safa, a royal palace located near the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, along with senior Saudi and Turkish officials, was also present during the occasion. The gathering of top leadership from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye at one of Islam’s most revered locations has drawn attention amid growing cooperation among the three countries on strategic, economic, and regional matters. The Makkah Defence Agreement, signed earlier, reportedly includes a collective defence clause similar to NATO’s Article 5, committing Islamabad, Ankara, and Riyadh to treat an armed attack on any one member as an attack against all, marking a shift in the region’s security architecture.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, performed Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. This occurred after the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
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