"Full Text of Mecca Defence Pact Reveals Pakistan's Regional Role"
Mecca Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA)
a 16-article collective defence pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey
Mutual defence clause
a treaty provision committing parties to assist each other if attacked
West Asia's security order has long rested on competing national interests. It has not rested on genuine pan-Islamic solidarity. Bodies built on shared religious or ethnic identity have rarely converted declarations into joint military action. The Arab League (1945) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are examples. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was formed in 1981 after Iran's revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. It was a defensive club of Gulf monarchies. However, it could not stop three of its own members from blockading Qatar in 2017. Earlier attempts at military federation also collapsed once national interests diverged. The Baghdad Pact of 1955 and the short-lived United Arab Republic are examples.
India's own engagement with this region has historically been limited. India has deep stakes in Gulf energy. India has a large diaspora working there. However, India's military and diplomatic presence remained modest for decades. Pakistan, by contrast, has long supplied troops, training and officers to Gulf monarchies. Saudi Arabia is an example. Pakistan is a familiar security partner. However, Pakistan stayed neutral during the Yemen war. This history forms the backdrop against which the new Mecca Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) must be read. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the MJDA.
The MJDA has been made public after Turkey submitted it to its Parliament for ratification. It runs to 16 articles. It is one of the longest collective defence texts in existence. Article 1 binds all parties to protect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Article 2 repeats the familiar 'attack on one is an attack on all' idea. However, the mutual assistance clause does not require the use of force. This is unlike comparable treaties. The North Atlantic Treaty (1949) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (1992) explicitly allow an 'armed attack' response. Even the GCC's own Joint Defence Agreement (2000) lists 'military armed force' as an option. The MJDA deliberately avoids this. It leaves the form of assistance open to arms transfers, troop deployments, or intelligence sharing. …
Consider the following statements regarding the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA):
1.It was signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.
2.Its Article 2 obligates parties to use military force in response to an armed attack on any member.
3.It designates its three founding signatories as 'core parties' for a ten-year term.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'attack on one is an attack on all' principle in the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement differs from NATO's Article 5 mainly because it:
With reference to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, consider the following pairs:
Article : Subject
1.Article 1 : Protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity
2.Article 3 : Capacity building cooperation in defence and defence industry
3.Article 7 : Technology sharing and joint defence production
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Which of the following treaties/agreements explicitly lists 'military armed force' as a permissible response to aggression against a member state?
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