MAKKAH – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday described the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as a "historic pact" that would serve as a "shield of peace for generations to come" for Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the broader Muslim Ummah.

In a statement following the signing ceremony at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah, the Prime Minister expressed his honour at signing the landmark trilateral defence agreement alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"Three brotherly nations, united by faith, friendship and a shared resolve for peace and security," PM Sharif wrote on social media, encapsulating the spirit of the historic agreement.

The Prime Minister offered prayers that the pact, "signed in the shadow of the Haramain, remain a shield of peace for generations to come and may it bring prosperity for our three brotherly countries as well as for the Ummah."

In a special acknowledgment, PM Sharif expressed "deep appreciation for Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir whose untiring efforts and utmost dedication contributed immensely towards this great cause." Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces was present at the signing ceremony as part of the Prime Minister's high-level delegation.

The Agreement, signed earlier today, establishes a collective defence framework under which any armed attack against any of the three signatory states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It also provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three brotherly nations.

The signing took place during the "Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence," convened at the invitation of Saudi Arabia's Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The three leaders reviewed their longstanding historical ties and discussed issues of mutual interest.

Accompanying the Prime Minister were Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The agreement has been hailed by analysts as a watershed moment in regional security architecture, uniting three of the Muslim world's most significant powers in a collective security arrangement. PM Sharif's reference to the "Ummah" underscores the broader Islamic solidarity dimension of the pact, which many observers see as the foundation of a future "Muslim NATO."