# Asim Munir, Saudi and Turkish chiefs meet in Riyadh: Makkah alliance to act at once

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/makkah-alliance-military-chiefs-meeting-riyadh)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable
Published: 26 Sept 2026
Updated: 26 Sept 2026
Retrieved: 30 Sept 2026

> The three military chiefs agreed on intelligence sharing and joint defence after Houthi missiles were fired at Saudi Arabia. What was decided and what it means for Pakistanis in the kingdom.

The military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye met in Riyadh on Friday, 25 September 2026, and pledged to **"immediately translate" the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance into working military cooperation**, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. It was the first meeting of the three chiefs since Houthi missiles were fired at the kingdom this week.

## Who was in the room

- **Pakistan:** Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff.
- **Saudi Arabia:** General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of the General Staff.
- **Turkiye:** General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Chief of the General Staff.

## What they agreed

According to the ISPR statement reported by Geo News and Dawn:

1. The alliance's commitments will be turned into "effective military cooperation" at once.
2. The three will work on **intelligence sharing, military coordination and integration of defence capabilities**, to strengthen deterrence and collective defence.
3. They "strongly condemned" attacks aimed at the holy city of Makkah and at Saudi civilian and economic infrastructure.
4. They restated their resolve to defend Saudi Arabia's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

## Why the meeting was called now

Saudi air defences intercepted **six ballistic missiles** fired by Yemen's Houthis on 24 September, and the kingdom has had a second warning for Makkah in two weeks, Dawn reported. Saudi King Salman called the Houthis a "terrorist militia" and the attacks on Makkah "a provocation to Muslims worldwide". Speaking at the UN General Assembly the same day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks and said Pakistan stands "shoulder to shoulder" with the kingdom. Our report on the rest of that speech: [Shehbaz at UNGA: Indus waters, Hormuz and Afghanistan](/news/politics/shehbaz-sharif-unga-speech-2026).

## The pact in brief

- Signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on **7 August 2026** at the Makkah summit.
- An armed attack on any one of the three is treated as an attack on all three.
- Renamed from the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement to the Makkah Joint Defence **Alliance** after its first Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting in Istanbul on 31 August.
- Its secretariat is in Riyadh. Its first secretary general is Pakistan's retired Lieutenant General **Nauman Mahmood**.
- Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday that the alliance could become a wider security arrangement for the Muslim world and that Iran could join.

We explained what the pact commits Pakistan to, and what the DG ISPR has said about Pakistani forces already in the kingdom, here: [what the Makkah pact commits us to](/news/pakistan/dg-ispr-says-pakistan-is-already-in-saudi-arabia-what-the-makkah-pact-commits-us).

## What it means for you

- **Families of workers in Saudi Arabia:** nothing in Friday's statement changes travel, visas or work rules. Remittance flows are unaffected so far; the riyal is at **Rs 73.91** today on our [Saudi riyal rate page](/data/sar-pkr), and you can convert any amount with the [currency converter](/tools/finance/currency-converter).
- **Umrah travellers:** we found no travel advisory from Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs linked to the missile attacks by Saturday morning. Check with your operator before you fly.
- **Fuel:** tension around the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb is a risk to shipping costs for the crude and LNG Pakistan imports. The petrol price is on our [petrol price page](/data/petrol-price).

No details of troop numbers or specific deployments were released after the meeting.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the Makkah Joint Defence Alliance?**

A defence pact signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on 7 August 2026 under which an attack on one is treated as an attack on all three. Its secretariat is in Riyadh and its first secretary general is Pakistan's retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood.

## Sources

- Makkah pact military chiefs vow immediate implementation of defence commitments (Geo News): https://www.geo.tv/latest/683726-makkah-pact-chiefs-condemn-attacks-on-saudi-arabia-pledge-stronger-military-coordination
- Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish military chiefs meet to discuss ways to assist Riyadh under Makkah defence pact (Dawn): https://www.dawn.com/news/2032546/pakistani-saudi-turkish-military-chiefs-meet-to-discuss-ways-to-assist-riyadh-under-makkah-defence-pact
- Pakistan, Saudi, Turkish military chiefs pledge immediate cooperation under Makkah pact (The News): https://www.thenews.pk/story/1439442-pakistan-saudi-turkish-chiefs-pledge-immediate-military-cooperation-under-makkah-pact

How to cite: "Asim Munir, Saudi and Turkish chiefs meet in Riyadh: Makkah alliance to act at once", Searchable, 26 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/makkah-alliance-military-chiefs-meeting-riyadh