India Says It Is Closely Monitoring Pakistan-Saudi-Türkiye Defence Pact, Rejects Israel Deal Claim as Fake News
NEW DELHI: India is closely monitoring the recent defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, while the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has rejected as “fake news” a viral claim that New Delhi had sought a defence pact with Israel in response to the trilateral agreement.
According to Indian media reports, the clarification came after a report published by Turkish media outlet Stratejik claimed, citing sources, that India had requested a defence agreement with Israel to counter the trilateral defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The report was subsequently widely circulated on social media.
The MEA’s fact-checking unit shared a screenshot of the report and categorically described it as “fake news.” The ministry said the claim that India had requested such a defence agreement with Israel was not true.
India Monitoring the Agreement
During his weekly media briefing, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also commented on the defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Jaiswal said India was closely following developments related to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and was carefully assessing the situation.
He added that the ministry would continue to provide the media with further information regarding India’s position as developments unfolded.
Agreement Declares Attack on One as Attack on All
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have signed a joint defence agreement under which an attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three.
A joint defence summit between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan was held at Qasr Al Safa in Makkah. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the high-level meeting.
The agreement marks a significant development in defence cooperation among the three countries and has drawn international attention amid ongoing geopolitical shifts in the region.
