The Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is expected to meet in Islamabad in the last week of November, in what would be the committee's first session in Pakistan and its third meeting since the pact was signed. Diplomatic sources have indicated that the meeting could take place on 27 and 28 November, although no date has been formally announced.

The News reported on Tuesday that the schedule was still being finalised, after Turkiye and Saudi Arabia did not agree to two sets of dates proposed earlier. The Express Tribune also reported that the meeting was expected in the last week of November, citing diplomatic sources. Neither Pakistan's Foreign Office nor the Prime Minister's Office had published a date, venue or agenda when the reports appeared, so the timing remains provisional.

Who is expected to attend

Senior civilian and military officials from all three member countries are expected to attend. From Pakistan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir are expected to take part.

Turkiye is expected to be represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of the Turkish General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and the Saudi defence minister are also expected to attend, along with senior military officials.

Pakistan currently holds the alliance's secretariat, headed by retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood, who has taken up the assignment. The secretariat's role gives Islamabad a central part in preparing the meeting and following up on its decisions.

What the meeting will discuss

According to the reports, the discussions will focus on escalating regional security challenges, Middle East tensions, the situation around the United States and Iran, and responses to Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure. The Islamabad meeting is expected to devise a strategy to deal with a series of Houthi strikes on Saudi airports, energy facilities and other infrastructure that have disrupted civilian aviation in the Kingdom.

Pakistan has assured Saudi Arabia of safeguarding its territorial integrity and sovereignty amid the frequent Houthi attacks, and has called on the Yemen-based group to return to the negotiating table and halt attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure immediately.

The pact behind the meeting

The alliance was established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on 7 August 2026 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It operates on a collective defence model, under which an armed attack on one member state is treated as an attack on all three.

Pakistan authenticated the accord earlier, and the Turkish parliament endorsed it last week after detailed discussions. The committee has previously met in Istanbul on 31 August and in an emergency session in Riyadh on 5 October.

Participants in Islamabad will also consider finalising the official name and abbreviation of the agreement, with three proposed names and their respective abbreviations to be presented for consideration. The three countries have said the defence pact is open to other countries to join, and have described it as defensive in nature and not targeted against any particular state.

Defence cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia goes back decades, and Riyadh has repeatedly stepped in to support Islamabad financially during periods of economic stress. The two countries also signed a separate bilateral defence agreement in September last year. Until the Foreign Office or the Prime Minister's Office confirms the schedule, however, the Islamabad dates should be treated as reported rather than final.