Pakistan striking Afghanistan to escape Makkah defence pact? Taliban makes big claim — what’s behind it
Taliban has accused Pakistan of striking Afghanistan to avoid commitments under the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey Makkah defence pact. Pakistan says its strikes targeted military objectives after alleged Afghan aggression, while Kabul says civilians were killed.
The Taliban has accused Pakistan of striking Afghanistan to avoid its obligations under the Makkah defence pact, a joint security agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that Pakistan was using the conflict as a pretext to sidestep its commitments under the pact, which is comparable to NATO's Article 5.
Pakistan, however, maintains that it has conducted strikes against military targets in Afghanistan. The situation has escalated after a recent militant attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan, which left at least 24 people dead. Afghanistan's Taliban government alleges that Pakistani air strikes killed four civilians.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries should be considered an attack against all three. Tensions have resurfaced amid renewed hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
