Exit Only After 10 Years, 3 Months' Notice: What Pak-Saudi-Turkey Pact Says

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will have to remain in their joint defence agreement for at least 10 years after it comes into force, with members required to give three months' written notice if they wish to withdraw thereafter.

The condition is laid down in Article 16 of the 16-article Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, whose full text, published by the Middle East Eye, has now revealed the terms governing withdrawal and military assistance.

The pact's 10-year period will begin only when the final instrument of ratification is deposited with the alliance's secretariat, not from the date the agreement was signed.

What Happens If One Country Is Attacked?

The agreement commits all three countries to assist a member that comes under armed attack or military aggression.

Article 2 states, "In the event one of the parties is subjected to an armed attack or military aggression by another country or group of countries, the parties shall immediately provide assistance to the party under attack, utilising the full range of mutual assistance measures available to them".

However, the agreement does not specify that every attack must trigger the same military response. The nature and scale of assistance will depend on the requirements of the country under attack and the resources available to its allies, including their military capabilities.

This leaves the three governments room to decide how they will respond to a crisis.

Turkey Moves Towards Formal Defence Commitment

Turkey has submitted the agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to parliament for ratification, three parliamentary sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

The move brings Ankara closer to a formal mutual defence commitment with Riyadh, as Saudi Arabia faces attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Mecca on August 7.

At the time, the leaders announced its central principle -- an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all. Plans for joint military exercises, intelligence sharing and defence production were also announced.

Pakistan Promises Support, Turkey Rules Out Offensive Role

The agreement is already facing an early test as Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia raise questions about how the three countries will put their commitment into practice.

At an emergency meeting in Riyadh earlier this month, the members agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan's military spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Islamabad was providing "whatever support is needed" to protect the kingdom's sovereignty, territorial integrity and holy sites.

Speaking to Independent Arabia on Sunday, he called their protection "paramount" and "non-negotiable" for Pakistan. He did not specify what assistance Islamabad was providing or how extensive it would be.

Turkey, meanwhile, is expected to contribute military equipment, intelligence and weapons systems, a Turkish official told Reuters.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has described the agreement as defensive and said Turkey would not send troops into another country to carry out attacks.