committee of the Mecca Defence Pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will hold talks in Riyadh on Monday, October 5, 2026, with Turkish ministers among those attending, the Turkish foreign ministry said on October 4. According to Reuters and a Turkish foreign ministry statement: "The Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense will convene in Riyadh on 5 October 2026, with the participation of H.E. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Yaşar Güler, Minister of National Defense, and General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, Chief of Turkish General Staff, and officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached." The Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense, signed earlier this year, is being described as an Islamic NATO-like defence cooperation between three major Muslim powers - Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar (Deputy Prime Minister), Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and other officials previously posed before the first committee meeting for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 31, 2026 (Reuters / Murad Sezer). The meeting in Riyadh today comes amid escalating tensions in Gaza, where Israel has announced the closure of West Bank and Gaza crossings for the October 7 anniversary, continued airstrikes killing at least 3 Palestinians today, and ongoing genocide in Gaza. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has traveled to Saudi Arabia for an OIC meeting with counterparts from the Muslim world. The agenda will address critical issues, including Israeli actions in Palestine, as preparations for the summit on Monday commence. PM Shehbaz Sharif will also attend, reinforcing Pakistan's support for Palestine. The Mecca pact meeting will address recent developments in the region, including Palestine, Iran-US tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where IRGC commander Ali Fadavi warned Iran will target US bases if a ground invasion is launched, and security cooperation among 57 OIC nations. Analysts say the Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact could reshape Islamic world security architecture and provide a collective response mechanism for Palestine and other Muslim causes, similar to NATO Article 5 but for the Islamic ummah.