Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that a meeting of Makkah Defence Alliance’s Strategic Political Defence Committee (SPDC) would take place in Riyadh next week, adding that it would focus on Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

The deputy premier was addressing a press briefing regarding the Pakistan delegation’s engagements at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September, as well as high-level meetings that took place on its sidelines.

“We made a plan because all three of us countries were present (in New York),” Dar said, referring to himself, Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

He said the SPDC, established under the trilateral “Makkah Accord”, comprises three members from each country — the foreign ministers, defence ministers and chiefs of army staff.

On Sept 25, a special meeting took place of the three army chiefs in Riyadh, he said, adding that the foreign ministers had met prior to this in New York in the wake of increased Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

“Very soon, a meeting of the whole SPDC … has been agreed to in principle, to take place in Riyadh,” the deputy premier said, noting that the current situation and “ground reality” would be examined during the meeting, particularly vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a question, DPM Dar said that this upcoming meeting was an emergency one, and the committee would meet again as planned after “the end of October or beginning of November”, when its work was expected to be completed.

He said that the meeting would focus on the Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia, as the previous meeting of foreign ministers in New York had done. Later, he said that the meeting would take place “next week”.

Regarding yesterday’s airstrike on a power plant in Madina, which was attributed to the Houthis, he highlighted that Pakistan had already condemned it and said it was “not acceptable”.

The deputy prime minister also noted that he had spoken to Iran in detail regarding the Houthi attacks, reminding them that Pakistan had its trilateral agreement to honour. Iran, he said, denied association “both with the Houthis and with the Iraqi militia”.

Iran also advised that the Houthis be “engaged politically”, rather than using “kinetic action”, he said, although he clarified that this was simply a “brainstorming between two foreign ministers, and in all good faith, a suggestion”.

He added that the decision would be taken between the three countries of the SPDC after the upcoming meeting.

DPM Dar also stated, responding to a question about the potential expansion of the Makkah defence pact, that while he would not name them, “at least six countries” were keen to join the accord.

He added that this would not be possible until after the agreement was made “fully operational”, which would take at least a year, but stressed that the document of the accord itself stated that it would be open to other countries if they agreed to the principles laid down by the existing members.

Dar’s remarks come amid fresh fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis. The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeted its ships in the Red Sea. Both sides have claimed strikes on each other as tensions remain high.

Meanwhile, the defence pact, signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

The first meeting of the SPDC was held in Istanbul on Aug 31, during which it was decided that the alliance’s secretariat will be initially headed by Pakistan for three years. Retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood has been appointed as the first secretary general of the alliance.

UN chief to visit Pakistan before end of tenure

During the briefing, the foreign minister also said that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres would visit Pakistan “soon”, likely before the end of his tenure.

He said that the UN chief held a meeting with the Pakistan delegation at the UNGA session, highlighting that “We have invited him to Pakistan and the UN secretary general has accepted”.

Calling Guterres a great supporter of Pakistan, the deputy premier recalled the “unforgettable” role he played in aiding the country through calamities.

He added that the UN chief’s term will end on Dec 31 of this year, and said that the visit would “likely” take place before this.

He noted that the programme for the visit would be released by the government and would take place “very soon” on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“I think it will be a memorable visit,” Dar added.

During the premier’s meeting with Guterres on the sidelines of the UNGA last week, the two exchanged views on major regional and international developments. The UN chief also commended Pakistan’s role in the Middle East peace process, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.