Mecca pact strategic political defense committee to meet 'soon': Pakistan FM

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that the Strategic Political Defense Committee (SPDC) established under the joint defense pact between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia will meet "soon" in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Dar said the committee has three members from each country-the foreign ministers, defense ministers and chiefs of General Staff.

The three military chiefs met in Riyadh on Sept. 25 for a special meeting, while the foreign ministers met in New York on Sept. 24.

"Very soon, a meeting of the whole SPDC ... has been agreed to in principle, to take place in Riyadh," Dar said amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Later, according to the daily Dawn, he said that the meeting would take place "next week".

Recalling his meeting with Iranians in New York last week, Dar said they had suggested in "good faith" that the Houthis should be engaged politically.

Both the Iranian president and foreign minister "wish" for the Houthi-Saudi conflict "to conclude," Dar said.

He said he "sensitized" the Iranian side about the trilateral pact signed in Mecca in August, adding that "as Muslims we have to honor it."

Dar stressed, however, that any decision would be taken by all three members of the pact.

The Iranians "disassociate themselves from both Houthis as well as Iraqi militia," Dar said.

Asked whether the Mecca pact would expand, Dar said: "At least more than six countries are keen to join the Mecca, which is defensive in nature."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in August.

The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the signatory states will be considered an attack against all parties.