Makkah defence pact has no regional military ambitions: DG ISPR

RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said the Makkah Defence Alliance — a tripartite agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye — is not directed against any country and has no hidden regional military aspirations.

In an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya English’s ‘Global News Today’, the military spokesperson said the agreement was a collective defence arrangement aimed at maintaining non-aggression, non-interference, peace and stability in the region.

“There is no offensive element in this agreement,” he said, adding that the three countries maintained independent relations with other states and international alliances. The pact, therefore, should be viewed as complementary rather than as an arrangement aimed at competing with any other alliance.

Asked how Pakistan would respond if any one of the three countries came under attack, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the mechanisms for implementing military and defence agreements were not made public.

“You are actually asking how action would be taken under the agreement,” he said, adding that military and security-related information remained confidential. If such a situation arose, the leadership of the three countries would jointly decide on a course of action, he said.

The ISPR chief also rejected the perception that the agreement was merely an Islamic bloc or a club of Muslim countries.

“Instead of calling it an Islamic alliance, it should be called an alliance for regional stability,” he said, adding that its doors remained open to other countries that believed in peace, non-aggression and collective defence.

He said any decision to expand the arrangement would rest with the political and military leadership of the three member countries.

Asked whether the agreement could affect Pakistan’s longstanding ties with China, Lt-Gen Chaudhry said Beijing and other major powers understood the historically deep relations between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

He said all three countries also maintained strong relations with China and that the agreement was aimed at promoting regional peace and stability.

On Pakistan’s role in mediating between the United States and Iran amid their ongoing tensions, the ISPR chief said Islamabad was playing the role solely to promote peace and stability in the region.

“Pakistan’s policy is to maintain equally positive relations with all friendly countries, which puts us in a position to play the role of an honest and active mediator,” he said.

He said Pakistan’s decades-old friendly ties with the United States, along with its fraternal, neighbourly and strategic relations with Iran, had helped Islamabad play a mediating role. “Pakistan has no vested interest in this conflict. We only want the war not to spread further and all disputes to be resolved at the negotiating table rather than on the ground or in the air,” he said.

Responding to a question about India’s purchase of missiles and advanced air defence systems, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that New Delhi was spending considerable resources to expand its military capabilities.

He said, however, that Pakistan did not support an arms race or any imbalance of power in the region.

“Our defence capabilities are purely defensive in nature. We have no offensive aspirations against any country,” he said, adding that Pakistan was confident in its ability to defend itself and respond to any aggression.

On Afghanistan, the ISPR chief said Pakistan did not want any interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs but expressed concern that Afghan territory was being used as a launching pad for terrorism against Pakistan.

He stated that terrorist elements were being facilitated under the Taliban government in recruiting and training militants and carrying out cross-border attacks against Pakistan.

Lt-Gen Chaudhry said UN reports had also referred to dozens of terrorist organisations operating in Afghanistan.

“Our position is that Afghanistan should not become a centre of terrorism for the world,” he said.

He said Pakistan wanted no interference from Afghanistan and remained committed to protecting its borders and maintaining regional peace and stability.