New regional security order

Dawn reports that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have signed a trilateral defense pact, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, that commits each nation to defend the others if attacked. Compared to NATO's Article Five, it represents a significant shift in regional security architecture and potentially signals reduced dependence on the United States. The pact emerged amid ongoing regional conflicts and questions about American reliability. Israel's government views it as a serious threat; India is concerned about Pakistan's involvement; and Iran has expressed mixed reactions, with some officials seeing it as a necessary step toward regional autonomy.

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