IR · 10 Aug 2026

Mecca Joint Defence Agreement

With reference to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed on August 7, 2026, which one of the following statements is correct?

ATurkey is the only signatory among the three that is a member of NATO.

BThe pact was signed by India, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to jointly counter Houthi attacks on shipping.

CThe pact explicitly includes a nuclear-sharing arrangement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

DThe pact is the first-ever security agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, with no prior bilateral precedent.

This question is based on: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign the Mecca Joint Defence Pact

Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 10 Aug 2026

About this question

Why in news

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement at Al-Safa Palace, declaring that an armed attack on any one signatory will be treated as an attack on all three, amid sustained Iranian and Houthi attacks on Gulf states.

Why for UPSC

UPSC often tests current international pacts through basic factual anchors - signatories, legal basis and prior precedents - that a well-read aspirant should recall directly from the news rather than infer.

Prelims summary

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement (August 2026) links Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in a mutual-defence pact invoking UN Charter Article 51 logic; Turkey is the only NATO member among the three and the pact builds on a 2025 Saudi-Pakistan bilateral precedent.

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