Columnist names risks of Makkah defense agreement — Dawn
Pakistan should take regional and domestic risks into account in order to make use of the strategic opportunities of the Makkah joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. This was written by a Dawn columnist.
The author notes that the practical mechanisms for implementing the arrangement remain unclear. At the same time, in his view, institutionalizing ties among the three countries could bring greater strategic coherence to West Asia, where conflicts continue. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a long history of military and diplomatic cooperation, while Turkey maintains defense ties with both states.
Risk of regional rivalry
In the author's view, this alliance should not become an additional source of divisions in the Middle East. He names the Red Sea crisis involving the Ansar Allah movement, known as the Houthis, as one of its first tests.
Saudi Arabia is an important source of energy resources and financial support for Pakistan, as well as a country with a sizeable Pakistani diaspora. As the column notes, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has increased Pakistan's dependence on oil supplies via the Red Sea.
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Direct military involvement against the Houthis, the author believes, could draw the alliance more deeply into existing regional disputes, complicate Islamabad's relations with Tehran, and test its declared policy of avoiding bloc confrontation. In his view, Pakistan can be useful to the alliance through the diplomatic channels it maintains with both Tehran and Riyadh.
Pakistan's domestic challenges
According to the columnist, the limits of Pakistan's obligations to its partners require particular attention should the alliance move from military coordination and defense-industrial cooperation to collective defense. In 2015, Pakistan's parliament played an important role in the decision not to send Pakistani troops to the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
The author also warns that expanding external security commitments should be aligned with the country's domestic challenges: terrorism, political instability, and economic vulnerability. He mentions governance problems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and believes that new commitments without improved domestic governance could weaken the foundations of Pakistan's regional influence.
