Dar and counterparts review Makkah pact progress
Foreign ministers met in New York as Saudi Arabia reported intercepting Houthi missiles and discussed urgent military chiefs' talks.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday to review progress on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, according to Geo News.
The meeting took place as Houthi forces in Yemen claimed to have fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets on Thursday. Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles, and emergency alerts were issued for Makkah, Jeddah and the Red Sea oil port of Yanbu, Geo reported.
Dar said on X that the ministers reviewed progress on establishing the agreement's institutional structures. The Saudi foreign ministry said the three countries condemned attacks targeting Makkah and other civilian sites and affirmed Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself.
According to a Saudi foreign ministry statement carried by Geo, the ministers discussed arrangements for an urgent meeting of the three countries' chiefs of staff to consider how to support Saudi Arabia under the pact, which stipulates that an attack on one party is an attack on all parties.
The meeting also reviewed progress on the General Secretariat, committees and working groups emerging from the agreement, and preparations for its operations to begin, the statement said.
Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara reaffirmed their resolve to keep working for sustainable peace and stability in the region, support de-escalation, and pursue peaceful solutions to the ongoing crisis, the Saudi ministry added.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7, Dawn reported. Its inaugural meeting was held on August 31 in Istanbul, where officials from the three countries met to establish the institutional structure, and Pakistan was selected to head the secretariat in Riyadh, the newspaper said.
Meanwhile, Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan called on Saudi and allied forces to remain united while confronting Houthi attacks, Geo reported. He urged personnel to remain patient and steadfast and condemned the Houthis as a threat to Saudi Arabia's peace and stability.
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