Attack one of us, you will face all three.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan seal a historic trilateral defense pact.

Sunday night, the skies over Pakistan’s capital lit up with fireworks to celebrate a historic moment that has already made headlines across the region: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have joined forces under a new trilateral defense pact signed in Makkah.

Thousands of people gathered at the New Blue Area in Islamabad, families, students and young people waved the flags of the three countries and buildings across the capital were lit up in their national colors. The nite ended with a dazzling display of fireworks that turned the celebration into a lively public spectacle of support for the recently signed pact.

The Defense Agreement

The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on Friday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commits the three countries to consider an armed attack against any one of them as an attack on all.

 Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the agreement is “purely defensive in nature” and not against any particular country. He said the setup remains open to other regional states prepared to adhere to its principles and settle disputes by peaceful means.

The pact unites three countries with different but important strategic capabilities: Pakistan’s military experience and nuclear capability, Saudi Arabia’s economic and regional clout and Turkey’s NATO membership, large military and growing defense industry. However, analysts caution against seeing the agreement as a direct equivalent of NATO.

But for many in Pakistan, the significance was more immediate: a new symbol of solidarity among three major Muslim countries. And the message from the streets as fireworks exploded over the capital was clear – the signing in Makkah had become a moment of celebration back home.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)