ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday affirmed that the recently signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was \u201centirely for defensive purposes\u201d, and not for any aggression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The joint defence agreement, signed on August 7 between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empowers its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the federal cabinet on Monday, PM Shehbaz recalled that he, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the pact in Makkah on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prime minister stressed that the objective of the pact is to \u201cpromote peace, progress, and prosperity in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIts purpose is definitely not that any aggression occurs. It is entirely for defensive purposes, for peace, tranquillity and progress in the region,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI believe this agreement is a source of strength not just among these three countries, but for the entire Muslim ummah,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PM Shehbaz particularly felicitated Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as well as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir on the signing of the agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efforts for the joint defence pact had been underway for \u201cmany years and materialised this Friday\u201d, the prime minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He noted that while Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had already entered the \u201cStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u201d in September 2025, Islamabad and Ankara also had \u201carrangements for decades\u201d between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PM Shehbaz recalled that the Pakistani nation and the army had been honoured to \u201cdefend the world\u2019s holiest places\u201d of Makkah and Madina for years along with the Saudi forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast year, with Allah\u2019s grace, this arrangement was officially recognised so that a proper agreement was signed. Friday\u2019s agreement is another extension of it, with a trilateral agreement signed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement issued by the Foreign Office earlier in the day, Dar felicitated the nation on the agreement\u2019s signing. He reiterated his comments from Sunday wherein he said the pact was defensive in nature and not directed against any country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dar also noted that the term of treating an attack on one of them as an attack against all three was \u201cconsistent with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement has been hailed by the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as an \u201cimportant strategic step\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuwait, Bahrain and Somalia are among the countries that have welcomed it. Iran\u2019s comments also took a rather positive tone, stressing its stance of pursuing \u201csecurity mechanisms based on cooperation between regional countries\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Terrorists being annihilated day and night\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PM Shehbaz also touched upon the issue of terrorism in the country, mentioning the lives lost in recent terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He noted that terrorists escalated their activities in \u201csome areas of Pakistan in the past few days\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The premier recalled the August 2 Swat suicide bombing that claimed 17 lives and the martyrdom of Deputy Superintendent of Police Diyar Khan in an attack on a Hangu police checkpost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He paid tribute to the sacrifices of the personnel, including Captain Hamza Akram and Major Hafiz Ihsan Elahi, who were martyred during operations in Hangu and North Waziristan, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prime minister affirmed that \u201cFitna Al Khawarij are being annihilated day and night\u201d, referring to terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese sacrifices will not go in vain and will bear fruition. One day will come when Pakistan will once again be free from terrorism and will move rapidly towards peace and progress,\u201d PM Shehbaz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prime minister also expressed his condolences over the death of PML-N MNA Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar, describing him as a \u201clongtime friend\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was a person who was a supporter in bad times,\u201d he said, adding that he and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif knew Channar since 1985. The cabinet also prayed for the elevated ranks of the martyrs and Channar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday affirmed that the recently signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was \u201centirely for defensive purposes\u201d, and not for any aggression. The joint defence agreement, signed on August 7 between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empowers its signatory states to treat an attack against one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n