What happened
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Friday, 14 August 2026, and briefed him on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, according to a statement issued by the Presidency.
The agreement was signed the previous week during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence. It is described as a defensive arrangement intended to strengthen collective deterrence, expand military cooperation and promote regional stability.
President Zardari expressed his best wishes for the agreement’s effective implementation, particularly in defence cooperation, regional peace and the security of the Muslim world. He appreciated the efforts of the prime minister and of Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in turning the three countries’ longstanding ties into a strategic partnership, the statement said. During the meeting, the prime minister also congratulated the president on Independence Day.
Counter-terrorism review
The Presidency said the meeting reviewed internal and external affairs. The participants paid tribute to the professionalism of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies in operations against the groups the state calls Fitna al-Hindustan, a term it uses for the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army and other militant groups in Balochistan, and Fitna al-Khawarij, its term for the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. They reiterated a resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.
President Zardari stressed the need for effective measures to provide relief to people facing economic difficulties, to ensure uninterrupted supplies of essential commodities and to make them available at reasonable prices. He expressed the hope that Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote regional and global peace would strengthen the country’s standing internationally and benefit the national economy and people’s lives.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior and Narcotics Control Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Senator Sherry Rehman attended the meeting.
Wider reaction
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted the alliance to expand beyond its three members, with Egypt among possible candidates once certain technical matters were resolved. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation welcomed the signing of the agreement. Security analysts quoted by Pakistani outlets described the pact as a formalisation of decades of existing strategic cooperation rather than a new military bloc.
Why it matters
The briefing placed the trilateral defence agreement at the centre of the government’s Independence Day diplomacy and gave the presidency a public role in its implementation. The accord adds a new security framework to Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye at a time of regional tension, while the meeting also tied it to the government’s counter-terrorism and economic-relief messaging.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details and the quoted remarks are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 14 August 2026.
- ABC News Pakistan — "PM Shehbaz briefs President Zardari on Makkah defence agreement"14 August 2026 · The Aiwan-e-Sadr meeting, the presidency statement, the counter-terrorism review and the reaction from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
