Mecca pact activated as Pakistan readies to back Saudi Arabia against Houthis
The joint pact with Pakistan and Turkiye has been activated amid continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan has agreed to deploy forces.
The conflict between Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia has entered a new phase. Strong and significant attacks and counter-attacks have taken place on both sides before. Meanwhile, Yemen's Saudi-backed government has begun to strengthen its front against the Houthis.
As Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue, the joint Mecca pact with Pakistan and Turkiye has been activated. After the attacks intensified, the countries party to the pact held an urgent meeting in Riyadh, where they decided to activate collective deterrence measures.
Under the pact, an attack on one member country is considered an attack on the others. This has opened the way for Pakistan and Turkiye to provide military capability for Saudi Arabia's defence. The three countries have agreed to immediately deploy the military assets and troops earmarked under the pact for Saudi security.
Pakistan has taken the position of supporting Saudi security and has agreed to deploy military contingents and necessary defence capability in Saudi Arabia. Earlier, too, there were reports of Pakistan providing Saudi Arabia with an air defence system and other military assistance. A direct military role for Pakistan is therefore being considered likely.
However, it is not yet clear whether Pakistan will enter a large-scale war against the Houthis in Yemen or limit itself to defending Saudi territory. Pakistan has earlier also stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to the Houthi issue.
It is being said that the United States is behind bringing Pakistan in against the Houthis. The reason given is that the US can no longer openly fight the Houthis to help Saudi Arabia, because 70 per cent of Americans have not liked the ongoing war on Iran. According to them, the Middle East war is no longer America's war, so the US should not get involved and lose its time, money and lives. For these reasons, it is being said that Trump has called in Pakistan through the joint Mecca pact.
In Yemen, the Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have launched a major military campaign to retake areas held by the Houthis. Clashes have also increased around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. In response, the Houthis have claimed to have targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities and military sites. The Yemen conflict is therefore feared to affect Saudi Arabia's security arrangements as well as trade routes in the Red Sea.
