Pakistan premier says Mecca defense pact not aimed at any state

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek on Tuesday, declaring that the trilateral Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense is "fundamentally defensive" and not aimed at any other state. "It is neither directed against any state nor intended to create any confrontation or division," Sharif told the Council of Heads of State in the Kyrgyz capital, referring to the pact signed by Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Aug. 7. The first meeting of the agreement’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee convened in Istanbul on Monday.

Regional mediation and water security

Sharif said Pakistan had served as an "honest and sincere mediator" in facilitating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at regional de-escalation, describing the accord as a "critical step towards restoration of peace" and the most viable pathway toward lasting stability. The premier also addressed water security, stressing that shared water resources must never be weaponized or used as instruments of coercion amid ongoing tensions with India. New Delhi stopped sharing water details with Islamabad under the Indus Waters Treaty last year following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, according to diplomatic sources. "Water is the life, blood of our region. It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land and secures the very future of our coming generations," Sharif said, without directly naming New Delhi. "The treaties governing our shared waters are solemn, binding international commitments. They are not matters of political convenience to be cast aside at your will. They must be honoured unconditionally, in both letter and spirit," he added.

SCO chairmanship and counterterrorism

As Pakistan assumes the rotating SCO chairmanship, Sharif outlined priorities including connectivity, artificial intelligence, energy, poverty reduction, disaster management and health, proposing the establishment of an SCO sovereign AI infrastructure and governance framework to promote responsible development. The premier noted that more than 90,000 Pakistanis have been killed and Pakistan has suffered economic losses exceeding $150 billion in its fight against terrorism over the past 25 years. Sharif also called on the international community to "honour its commitment to help the Palestinian people alongside all other oppressed nations to secure their fundamental right to self-determination," according to the official transcript.