# Khawaja Asif: Makkah pact ready to implement; Pakistan warns tanker attack is act of war Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/politics/khawaja-asif-makkah-pact-ready-to-implement-pakistan-warns-tanker-attack-is-act-) Type: News article Author: Searchable Editorial Published: 17 Sept 2026 Updated: 17 Sept 2026 Retrieved: 17 Sept 2026 > The defence minister said Pakistan will honour the trilateral pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, while the petroleum minister warned against any strike on a Pakistan-flagged tanker stranded in the Red Sea. Two federal ministers used television interviews on Wednesday, 16 September, to send a sharper message about the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the Makkah defence pact had reached the point of implementation, while Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik warned that any attack on a Pakistan-flagged tanker stuck in the Red Sea would be treated as an "act of war". ## What Khawaja Asif said Speaking on Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath", Asif said: "Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty." According to The Express Tribune, he said the trilateral alliance had "reached point of implementation" and that Pakistan would back Saudi Arabia practically and diplomatically if the situation escalated. He also said Pakistan would defend Makkah and Madinah with or without a written agreement, calling their protection a religious obligation. He declined to go into operational details. Asif added that Pakistan had passed a Saudi message to Iran, and said he did not think Iran as a state would open another front. His remarks came a day after Saudi air defences intercepted a Houthi drone south of Makkah on Tuesday evening, reported to be the second attempt near the holy city. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree denied targeting Makkah and said the group's operations target oil facilities and military bases. ## What the Makkah pact is - **Signed:** 7 August 2026, per Dawn - **Members:** Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - **Core clause:** aggression against one member counts as aggression against all Asif had already said on 9 September, on the same programme, that Pakistan was bound by the pact's terms. That was the day Houthi missiles and drones hit southern Saudi cities including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring more than 70 people. ## The tanker warning Separately, Ali Pervaiz Malik told a private TV channel that any attack on an empty Pakistan-flagged oil tanker stranded in the Red Sea, near the western end of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, would be regarded as an act of war. No outlet has named the vessel or its owner. What has been reported: - the ship is **empty** and is waiting for the pipeline to resume - Saudi authorities asked Pakistan to keep it on standby for now - the pipeline has been shut after Houthi attacks and could stay closed for **up to six weeks** - Pakistan is weighing three options: wait for the pipeline to restart, sail the tanker home via Oman or the UAE, or buy crude from Libya "We will have to move it one way or another," Malik said, according to Geo News. ## What it means for you At the pump, petrol is **Rs 391.22 a litre** today, up from Rs 384.34, and diesel is **Rs 421.45**. Track the daily figure on our [petrol price page](/data/petrol-price). A long pipeline shutdown would put Pakistan's crude supply under more strain, and the government has already said current fuel stocks cover this month and next. For families with relatives working in Saudi Arabia, neither minister announced travel advice or any other step for Pakistanis in the kingdom. Houthi strikes have targeted southern cities, and drones have been intercepted near Makkah, so anyone living or travelling there should follow advisories from the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah. If you receive money from Saudi Arabia, the riyal is at **Rs 74.00** today; check it on our [SAR to PKR page](/data/sar-pkr). ## What happens next Watch for three things: whether Saudi Arabia formally invokes the pact, whether the tanker leaves the Red Sea, and when the East-West pipeline reopens. Each will shape fuel availability in Pakistan through October. More background: [how long Pakistan's fuel stocks last with the Saudi pipeline shut](/news/pakistan/pakistan-fuel-stocks-september-october-saudi-pipeline-shut). ## Frequently asked questions **Who are the members of the Makkah defence pact?** Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Dawn reports it was signed on 7 August 2026 and treats aggression against one member as aggression against all. **Who warned that an attack on the tanker would be an act of war?** Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, in a TV interview on 16 September, about an empty Pakistan-flagged tanker stranded in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline. ## Sources - Defence minister says time has come to implement Makkah pact amid Houthi attacks (Geo News): https://www.geo.tv/latest/682383-defence-minister-says-time-has-come-to-implement-makkah-pact-amid-houthi-attacks - Asif says Pakistan will defend holy cities 'with or without agreement' (The Express Tribune): https://tribune.com.pk/story/2629708/pakistan-will-defend-holy-cities-with-or-without-agreement-khawaja-asif - Pakistan warns any attack on oil tanker stuck near Saudi pipeline will be 'act of war' (Geo News): https://www.geo.tv/latest/682356-pakistan-warns-any-attack-on-oil-tanker-stuck-near-saudi-pipeline-will-be-act-of-war - Pakistan warns against attack on stranded oil tanker (Pakistan Today): https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2026/09/17/pakistan-warns-attack-on-stranded-oil-tanker-would-be-treated-as-act-of-war - Asif warns Makkah defence pact could become operational after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia (Dawn): https://www.dawn.com/news/2028592 How to cite: "Khawaja Asif: Makkah pact ready to implement; Pakistan warns tanker attack is act of war", Searchable, 17 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/politics/khawaja-asif-makkah-pact-ready-to-implement-pakistan-warns-tanker-attack-is-act-