PM Shehbaz appreciates Trump’s support for Makkah defence pact
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday thanked US President Donald Trump for his support for the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, saying Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of its own country and the wider region.
Last year, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement”, declaring that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”. On August 7, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye formalised their longstanding strategic relationship through the newly signed “Makkah Joint Defence Agreement”, a trilateral security framework that its proponents describe as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, enhancing military cooperation and promoting regional stability.
In a post on X on Monday, PM Shehbaz said he “deeply appreciate[d] President Donald Trump’s kind words of support” following the US president’s remarks on the agreement on Truth Social.
Deeply appreciate President Donald Trump’s kind words of support on the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Together with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkiye, Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of… pic.twitter.com/qdemVBYkLq
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 17, 2026
“Together with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkiye, Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the defence of our own countries as well as the entire region,” the prime minister said.
PM Shehbaz also praised Trump for what he described as his “courageous and decisive leadership”, saying it had helped “avert a nuclear catastrophe in South Asia and saved millions of lives.”
The prime minister added that “durable peace” was the most essential prerequisite for a bright and prosperous future for the people of the region.
His remarks came in response to Trump’s post on Truth Social, in which the US president said he was “very happy” to see Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan had “recently, and finally” signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117107211893196124
Trump said the agreement showed “how the Middle East is coming together” and how countries would eventually be able to defend themselves “in a more meaningful way”.
“Congratulations to the Great Leadership of the three Nations mentioned,” Mr Trump said, describing the agreement as a “BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP — WOW!”
Significance of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was the latest step in longstanding military and strategic cooperation between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Signed in Makkah, the pact established a framework for collective deterrence and stipulated that an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all three, while providing for wider cooperation across defence.
The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and came amid heightened instability across the Middle East. Türkiye and Pakistan had sought closer regional security cooperation, while Saudi Arabia had faced growing security concerns as conflicts spread across the region, threatening its territory, energy infrastructure and ambitious economic development plans.
Read More: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye sign joint defence pact in Makkah
For Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the trilateral pact built on their Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence.
The three countries already had extensive military links. Pakistan had provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara had maintained close defence ties through military training, naval cooperation and defence equipment. In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase Turkish drones in what Ankara described as its largest defence export contract.
Pakistan had also expanded its military and security cooperation with the kingdom, deploying about 8,000 troops, fighter jets, drones and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi air base under defence pact Islamabad had also been pursuing wider security and economic ties in the Gulf, including negotiations with Kuwait on an expanded cooperation pact linked to energy and investment. Pakistan-Kuwait agree to boost cooperation across key sectors
The signing in Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, added symbolic weight to an agreement that brought together three countries with significant military and strategic capabilities. It also came as Pakistan sought to avoid becoming directly involved in the Iran conflict, instead pursuing diplomatic efforts to mediate, while strengthening its broader regional security partnerships.Read More