Mecca deal cracks in 24 hours, Pakistan runs away from Houthi battlefield | Gravitas

Three days ago, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye signed a trilateral defence pact with great fanfare. However, cracks within the alliance surfaced within 24 hours. Even as Iran-backed Houthis launched an attack on Saudi Arabia, Pakistan stayed away from the battlefield.

Pak Army Chief Asim Munir's choice is glaring, considering the most important aspect of this deal.

According to this agreement, any armed attack against any one of these three countries shall be regarded as an attack against them all.

It is worth noting that despite a similar clause being present in the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact signed in September last year, Munir's forces did not join hostilities against Iran.

Houthis, who have declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, did not hold back, though.

Over the weekend, the group struck a facility operated by Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil firm Aramco in Jazan in retaliation for alleged incursions by drones into north-west Yemen. This facility reportedly processes four hundred thousand barrels of crude oil per day.

On its part, Riyadh clarified that a fire which broke out at this facility was extinguished and no injuries were reported.

This is not all. Houthis also attacked Yemen's port city of Mokha.

Houthis claimed to have launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones towards alleged Saudi troops and weapon depots in Mokha as part of a large-scale operation.

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed over this city and loud explosions rang out as Houthis launched their attack.

According to Yemen's military, at least 11 people, including eight military personnel and three civilians, were killed in the first wave of attacks whereas 32 others were injured.

As per the military, its air defences intercepted and shot down 11 Houthi drones. Now, even Turkiye has remained silent on this.

While Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan affirmed that the Mecca Pact has a NATO's article 5-like collective defence clause, he told the media that the agreement does not target any country.

Amid speculation of whether it will rush to Saudi's aid in the ongoing conflict, Pakistan too issued a clarification.

Its Deputy PM and foreign minister Ishaq Dar said, "I wish to reiterate that the Mecca accord is defensive in nature. It is not directed against any country.” He also added that its purpose is to strengthen collective deterrence against external aggression.

Interestingly, Iran too made it clear that it is not worried by the Mecca Pact.

Taking a dig at US, it reasoned that this agreement showed that countries are relying more on their own capabilities rather than those of outside powers.

Let’s try to decode why Pakistan is running away from joining forces with Saudi Arabia.

Even after intense strikes by US and Israel, Iran maintains a strong military and arsenal of weapons that can cause significant damage to Pakistan.

The answer also lies in Balochistan's strategic location, it shares a 900 kilometre-long border with Iran, which is not easy to manage, considering that Balochistan has been on the boil.

Even as Pakistan continues to jail human rights activists like Dr. Mahrang Baloch, the unrest on the ground cannot be understated.

In July, the Pakistani military revealed that at least 42 persons, most of whom were security personnel, were killed in three attacks by Baloch insurgents.

In subsequent operations, Pakistani forces claimed to have killed at least 129 militants.

The Baloch Liberation Army has also intensified its operations. In July, gunmen killed nine police officers in an attack on a checkpost at the Mangi Dam project in Balochistan.

This is not all.

In May, over 30 people were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a train in Quetta, which was carrying Pakistani security personnel and their families.

Beyond its backyard, the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir also remains volatile.

Amid Munir's brutal crackdown on civilians and supporters of Joint Awami Action Committee, the third round of so-called assembly polls in PoK was held only in four constituencies whereas polling was indefinitely postponed in seven other seats.

As Pakistan's turmoil intensifies, a key question arises: Is it even in a viable position to fulfill the commitments of Mecca Pact?

And if this is the case, it is clear that this agreement was more of symbolism than substance.