“I put the protesters of PojK in the same category as India and consider them as enemies,” Khawaja Asif said.
In an interview with Geo News, Asif said the agreement signed in Mecca should not remain an “exclusive club” and should be expanded to include other Islamic countries. It should expand,” Asif said. The agreement is “guided by the longstanding historical ties among the three states” and their shared strategic interests, defence cooperation and “enduring bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity”, according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry. The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all, according to a joint statement. A Turkish official said the agreement was purely defensive, was not directed at any particular country and remained open to participation by other regional nations.
“See, we can’t close the doors for other countries. This shouldn’t be an exclusive club. This is my personal opinion. The official added that it would not replace existing bilateral or multilateral security arrangements.
A day after Pakistan signed a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday called for Islamic countries to set aside their differences and form a military alliance along the lines of Nato.