LAHORE: Experts at a panel discussion on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement believed the initiative could evolve into a new centre of Muslim collective security but its credibility would ultimately depend on whether the three countries could turn political solidarity into institutionalized military cooperation.
The discussion, organised by the Department of Political Science, Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, focused on the emerging defence partnership among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye and its implications for security in the Middle East and South Asia and the evolving global order.
Dr Naeem Mahboob, coordinator of the discussion, said Muslim countries faced the question of whether they should continue relying primarily on outside powers or develop credible indigenous mechanism of collectivedefence.
Dr Muhammad Azhar of Government College University Faisalabad said modern warfare was no longer determined by conventional military strength alone, with technology, economic resilience, precision capabilities and the ability to sustain prolonged conflict becoming increasingly important.
Dr Shakil Akhtar of Islamia University, Bahawalpur, termed the pact potentially significant but urged caution over expectations. He said the principle that an attack on one member was an attack on all did not necessarily mean automatic military intervention.
Assistance could take the form of intelligence, technology, logistics, economic support or diplomatic backing, depending on the nature of a crisis, he said, warning that the three countries also faced different and sometimes geographically distant security challenges.
Dr Ghulam Mustafa of GCU Faisalabad said Pakistan stood to gain from Turkish defenceand drone technologies, Saudi investment, joint ventures, training and co-production.
However, he said, the key issue was whether Türkiye would transfer sophisticated defence technology or whether cooperation would remain limited to procurement and political coordination.
Prof Dr Shahid Bukhari of BZU placed the agreement in the wider shift towards ‘a multipolar international system, minilateral partnerships and strategic autonomy.
He cautioned against interpreting it automatically as an anti-Western, anti-Iranian or anti-Israeli alliance. The discussion, moderated by BZU Department of Political Science chairman Prof Dr Muqarrab Akbar, concluded that the pact’s long-term significance would depend less on its description as a ‘Muslim NATO’ and more on whether its members developed permanent institutions, joint planning, interoperability and credible collective-defence mechanisms.