Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar reached Madinah Munawwarah on Monday morning, hours ahead of his meeting in Riyadh under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. He will join Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Riyadh today for SPDC meeting.
According to a Foreign Office statement released in Islamabad, Ishaq Dar was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s Consul General in Jeddah, Director General of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs Madinah Branch, and the Saudi Royal Protocol.
The deputy prime minister paid respects at Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH) and offered prayers for the peace and prosperity of Pakistan, the well-being of its people and the Muslim Ummah, as well as for regional peace and stability.
Ishaq Dar also visited Jabal Uhud, where he paid homage to the Shuhada-e-Uhud and offered prayers.
The deputy prime minister has since proceeded to Riyadh to participate in the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC), where he will join Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, along with counterparts representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Türkiye.
Earlier in another statement, the Foreign Office said Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership will travel to Riyadh on Monday for a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee (SPDC) set up under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, as the three-nation alliance moves from paper to practice amid rising regional tensions.
Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will represent Pakistan at the meeting.
The meeting will bring together senior political and military officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, including the foreign and defence ministers and chiefs of general staff of Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The Turkish foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu were expected to attend alongside their Pakistani and Saudi counterparts.
The Foreign Office said the participants would discuss the latest regional developments and review ongoing cooperation under the Makkah framework. The Turkish foreign ministry said the meeting would also review progress in institutionalising the alliance.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s participation reflected its resolve to keep contributing to regional peace and stability. The delegation is expected to engage with its Saudi and Turkish counterparts on regional security and defence cooperation.
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions, including renewed fighting in Yemen and attacks by the Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s foreign minister said Iran had proposed political engagement with the Houthis, an issue expected to be discussed by the committee.
The agreement is being operationalised through the SPDC, which serves as a forum for consultations on regional developments and ongoing cooperation. Pakistan appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the pact’s first secretary general in September.
The Foreign Office has said Islamabad remains committed to implementing the agreement, while stressing that operational details regarding any response to threats will remain confidential.
