On 7 August 2026, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Makkah Defense Agreement — a pact built around a striking clause: an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. In this episode of the Kianistan Podcast, Tafhim Kiani speaks with Pakistani journalist and columnist Zarrar Khuhro, who writes for Dawn, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye and hosts his own program, to unpack exactly what this agreement means and why it emerged now.

Khuhro traces the deal’s roots back through a prior Pakistan-Saudi mutual defense agreement and a long, often tense relationship between Riyadh and Islamabad — including Pakistan’s refusal to join the 2015 Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. He explains how Turkey’s own relationship with Saudi Arabia, badly strained after the Khashoggi killing and the Qatar rift, has been steadily repaired, setting the stage for this three-way pact.

The conversation digs into the deeper forces behind the agreement: the collapse of momentum behind the Abraham Accords after October 7, 2023, the way the Iran-US war has exposed American bases in the region as liabilities rather than shields, and Pakistan’s surprising battlefield resilience during the May 2025 conflict with India — ‘Operation Sindoor’ — which Khuhro says fundamentally reshaped how the region sees Pakistan’s military credibility.

From there, Khuhro and Kiani range across the wider map: UAE-Pakistan tensions, the contested politics of ‘Somaliland,’ Pakistan’s new training arrangements with Somalia and Kuwait, outreach from Libya’s Haftar to Ankara and Islamabad, and the connections to Sudan’s RSF conflict. They also tackle the question everyone is asking — is this a ‘Sunni bloc’? — and why Khuhro resists that framing and hopes Iran eventually joins.

Key Topics Discussed

What the Makkah Defense Agreement Actually Says

Signed on 7 August 2026, the agreement formalizes a mutual defense relationship between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.

• Its central clause treats an attack on any one signatory as an attack on all three.
• It builds on a prior, narrower Pakistan-Saudi mutual defense agreement rather than starting from scratch.
• The choice of members and the agreement’s name both carry symbolic weight tied to the founding states’ regional standing.

A History of Friction: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey

Khuhro walks through the rocky history that makes this alignment notable.

• Pakistan-Saudi relations have been strained before, notably when Islamabad declined to join the 2015 Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.
• Turkey-Saudi ties were badly damaged by the Khashoggi killing and the broader Qatar rift, and have only recently been repaired.
• The agreement represents a genuine reset of relationships that were far from guaranteed to align this closely.

Why Now: The Abraham Accords, the Iran War, and Operation Sindoor

Several converging events explain the agreement’s timing.

• The collapse of momentum behind the Abraham Accords after October 7, 2023, left a vacuum in regional alignment strategy.
• The ongoing Iran-US war has exposed US bases in the region as potential liabilities rather than reliable shields.
• Pakistan’s resilience in the May 2025 conflict with India, known as Operation Sindoor, reshaped regional perceptions of its military capability and reliability as a partner.

Regional Ripples: UAE Tensions, Somaliland, and New Training Pacts

The agreement’s effects are already visible well beyond its three signatories.

• UAE-Pakistan tensions have surfaced, intertwined with disputes over the Israel-backed status of ‘Somaliland’ versus Saudi interests in the Horn of Africa.
• Pakistan has signed new training agreements with Somalia and Kuwait, extending its security cooperation footprint.
• Libya’s Haftar has reportedly reached out to both Ankara and Islamabad, and Khuhro connects these dynamics to the ongoing RSF conflict in Sudan.

Is This a ‘Sunni Bloc’? Khuhro Pushes Back

The framing of this agreement as a sectarian alliance is heavily contested.

• Khuhro resists describing the pact as a ‘Sunni bloc,’ arguing that framing oversimplifies its strategic logic.
• He expresses hope that Iran could eventually be drawn into a similar security arrangement rather than excluded by design.
• The discussion touches on India’s alignment with Israel, including parallels drawn between Hindutva and Zionist political currents.

China’s Quiet Hand and Pakistan’s New Diplomatic Role

Behind the scenes, China’s influence runs through much of this realignment.

• Pakistan was chosen as the agreement’s first Secretary-General, a largely ceremonial role under a unanimous-consent clause for new members.
• Roughly 80 percent of Pakistan’s military hardware is Chinese, and China reportedly provided satellite support during the 2025 conflict with India.
• China has also played a broader role brokering Iran-Saudi rapprochement, even as Pakistan carefully balances its own trade-route interests with Iran.

Major Takeaways

• The Makkah Defense Agreement, signed 7 August 2026, formally binds Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan under a mutual-defense clause.
• The pact follows years of friction between its signatories, including Pakistan’s 2015 refusal to join Saudi Arabia in Yemen and the post-Khashoggi Turkey-Saudi rift.
• Pakistan’s resilience in the May 2025 ‘Operation Sindoor’ conflict with India significantly boosted its regional military credibility.
• The agreement is already reshaping regional ties, from UAE-Pakistan tensions to new Pakistan-Somalia and Pakistan-Kuwait training pacts.
• Khuhro rejects the ‘Sunni bloc’ framing and hopes Iran could eventually be part of a broader regional security arrangement.
• China’s influence runs throughout the story, from military hardware supply to satellite support and its role brokering Iran-Saudi rapprochement.

About Zarrar Khuhro

Zarrar Khuhro is a Pakistani journalist, columnist, and television presenter known for his sharp commentary on regional politics and security affairs. He writes regularly for Dawn, one of Pakistan’s leading English-language newspapers, as well as for Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye, and hosts his own current-affairs program.

His reporting consistently bridges Pakistani domestic politics with the broader Middle East and South Asian security landscape, making him a trusted voice on exactly the kind of cross-regional realignment discussed in this episode.

• Pakistani politics and security policy
• Gulf-South Asia diplomatic relations
• Regional defense pacts and alliance-building
• Middle East and South Asian current affairs commentary

About Kianistan Podcast

The Kianistan Podcast, hosted by Tafhim Kiani, exists to help listeners track the fast-shifting alliances and rivalries defining today’s geopolitics, from the Gulf to South Asia and beyond. Each episode brings in journalists and analysts with direct, on-the-ground expertise rather than distant commentary.

This conversation with Zarrar Khuhro is a prime example of that approach — a detailed, well-sourced breakdown of a defense pact that could reshape regional security for years to come, explained by a journalist who has covered Pakistan’s foreign policy from the inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Makkah Defense Agreement?

It is a mutual defense pact signed on 7 August 2026 between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, under which an attack on any one signatory is treated as an attack on all three.

Why did Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey sign this agreement now?

Zarrar Khuhro points to several converging factors: the collapse of Abraham Accords momentum after October 7, 2023, the Iran-US war exposing US bases as liabilities, and Pakistan’s military credibility boost from the May 2025 Operation Sindoor conflict with India.

Is the Makkah Defense Agreement a ‘Sunni bloc’?

Khuhro pushes back on that framing, arguing it oversimplifies the pact’s strategic logic, and says he hopes Iran could eventually be part of a similar regional security arrangement.

What role does China play in this regional realignment?

China supplies roughly 80 percent of Pakistan’s military hardware, reportedly provided satellite support during the 2025 India conflict, and has separately helped broker Iran-Saudi rapprochement.

Conclusion

Zarrar Khuhro’s conversation with Tafhim Kiani offers one of the clearest breakdowns available of why the Makkah Defense Agreement matters — not as an isolated headline, but as the product of years of shifting alliances, a changed battlefield calculus after Operation Sindoor, and a region hedging against American unreliability.

As the agreement’s ripple effects spread from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia, this episode gives listeners the historical and strategic context needed to understand where Gulf and South Asian security is headed next.

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