Pakistan, engaged in the 'Mecca pact', forced to play the balancing act

The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen poses a challenge to the recent Mecca agreement involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Pakistan must balance its mutual defense pact with its allies while managing relations with Iran, which supports the Houthis. The Mecca pact states that aggression against one member is an attack on all three. As Houthi forces have captured significant territory and increased attacks on Saudi infrastructure, the allies activated their collective defense clause. The agreement, which is not offensive in nature, allows for joint defense production and intelligence sharing, differing from NATO's collective defense framework. Experts caution against expecting Pakistan to engage militarily with Iran.