Pakistan's Mecca pact: Defending Saudi Arabia or entering Yemen war?

Pakistan’s commitments under the Mecca Defense Pact with Saudi Arabia raise concerns over the risk of being drawn into the Yemen conflict and a wider regional war.

Maryam Nawaz
Press TV, Islamabad

Pakistan’s role in the Mecca Defense Pact is raising questions about the limits of its military commitments to Saudi Arabia.

Following an October 5 meeting in Riyadh, the participating countries agreed to move towards deploying agreed military capabilities inside Saudi Arabia. However, no public authorization has been announced for Pakistani forces to participate in the Yemen conflict.

Religious leaders and analysts have taken a strong stance on Pakistan's decision and have questioned how far Islamabad can go without being drawn into another regional war.