Two of its closest strategic partners Saudi Arabia and Turkiye had drifted onto opposite sides of an expanding geopolitical divide. The accord builds on the Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in September 2025, under which an attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all. The same countries that only a few years ago were competing for leadership and influence across the Muslim world have now chosen strategic cooperation over rivalry. Officials avoid naming potential candidates, but several Muslim countries have reportedly shown interest in enhanced security cooperation under the new mechanism. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is therefore unlikely to be remembered simply as a trilateral pact.