This analysis by Tughral Yamin, Senior IPS Associate, examines the Istanbul meeting of Pakistan, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia and its significance for transforming the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement into a functioning collective security mechanism. The policy insight explores the institutional, military, financial, and diplomatic arrangements needed to make the agreement credible, including command structures, intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and defense-industrial cooperation. It also assesses the Iran-US conflict, the India factor, and the need to preserve the alliance’s defensive and non-sectarian character. Importantly, the commentary argues that the Makkah Agreement should serve as a “shield, not a sword,” combining credible deterrence with diplomacy and a joint regional peace initiative.

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