Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is built on on a 2025 Saudi-Pakistani pact under which Pakistan had sent about 8,000 troops to the kingdom by May (Photo: Agencies).
Pakistan defence forces chief Asim Munir agreed to quickly deploy more Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia , despite the Pakistani Parliament voting to stay out of the Houthi conflict 11 years ago. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is based on a 2025 Saudi-Pakistani pact under which Pakistan had sent about 8,000 troops to the kingdom by May, according to Reuters.
Pakistan’s information ministry said the alliance “has gone through all necessary government procedures”. Senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, Michael Kugelman, told Reuters that Pakistan is currently in a different era, with a comparatively weaker parliament. But it’s a different era now,” Kugelman said.
However, it did not clarify if the cabinet or parliament was involved, calling details of the deployment “a matter of operational confidentiality. “There were times in the past when Pakistan’s parliament would vote not to send troops, and the military would abide by that decision. Munir is widely acknowledged to be more powerful domestically than any of his predecessors. The military has control over major government portfolios like defence and foreign relations. Jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan ’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), currently protesting for his release, has accused the army of dominating politics.