Pakistan Defense Minister Calls for Unified Military Front Against Israel After Defense Pact Signing

Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, told a local news outlet that Israel poses a threat to the Muslim world and called for a united military front against the state. His remarks came a day after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a trilateral defence pact.

"In the context of Israel, all Muslim countries must unite. I have no doubt about this," Asif said.

He described Israel as a product of the 1917 Balfour Declaration and an illegitimate state, adding that its existence could threaten regional countries. Asif said the stance would not change regardless of which party wins Israel’s upcoming elections, emphasizing that Israel’s policies toward Palestinians and its “anti-Islamic mindset” would persist.

Pakistan does not recognise Israel and has voted against its UN admission. The two countries have no diplomatic relations, and Pakistan has said it will recognise Israel only after a Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, described the new agreement as similar to NATO’s Article 5 mutual-defence clause, meaning an attack on any signatory would be considered an attack on all. He said a ministerial committee and a secretariat based in Saudi Arabia would be created, and that the pact could later include Egypt and other regional states. The accord is not directed at Iran, but Turkey highlighted its interest in protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and its involvement in a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi attacks.

The three-nation pact does not aim to replace existing alliances such as NATO, and Turkey noted that the cooperation has been under discussion for nearly three years.