Dar says Makkah defence pact committee to meet next week on Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Friday that the Makkah Defence Alliance's Strategic Political Defence Committee (SPDC) will convene in Riyadh next week to discuss the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Dar made this statement during a press briefing about the Pakistan delegation's participation in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, along with high-level meetings held in the city.

The SPDC, established under the "Makkah Accord", consists of representatives from each signatory nation, including foreign ministers, defence ministers, and chiefs of army staff. At a special meeting of the three army chiefs in Riyadh on September 25, a decision was made to hold the first full SPDC meeting in principle, to be held in Riyadh.

The committee will focus on the Houthi attacks, as discussed at the previous foreign ministers' meeting in New York. Dar confirmed that the meeting would occur "next week" and that the SPDC's work would be finalized by "the end of October or beginning of November". The foreign minister also revealed that at least six countries expressed interest in joining the Makkah defence pact, although this expansion would not be feasible until the agreement is fully operational, which could take up to a year.