The Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday that the Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia was “defensive” in nature, adding that expansion of the pact was currently “not on the cards”.

FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks while addressing a weekly press briefing. He said that the pact was primarily a “defensive alliance to ensure regional security primarily through deterrence”.

He said that expansion of the pact was currently “not on the cards”, adding that “Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia must first further consolidate their organisation and cooperation”.

He said that following the consolidation, the agreement will be “open to all countries that share similar stances and perspectives”.

The spokesperson said that the three member states were holding consultations at various levels under the framework.

He reiterated that the states will make a decision on the agreement’s expansion at a later stage.

“At this stage, there are no discussions regarding the expansion of the Makkah agreement,” he said.

‘State-sanctioned’ demolition of Muslim worship sites in India condemned

The FO spokesperson also condemned what he described as the “systematic” and “state-sanctioned” demolition of Muslim worship sites in India.

In response to a question about how Pakistan planned to build more pressure on the Indian government regarding the issue of demolition of worship sites, given the demolition of a mosque in India’s Saharanpur on September 5, the spokesperson said, “Pakistan expresses deep concern and condemns the systematic state-sanctioned demolition of Islamic holy places in India under different pretexts”.

Khan held that the demolitions were in breach of the Liaquat-Nehru Pact signed in 1950, which the spokesperson said guaranteed the security and rights of religious minorities.

He noted that the ongoing repression also breached India’s own laws, particularly the Places of Worship Special Provisions Act, 1991, which he said mandated the maintenance of the religious character of places of worship “as it existed on August 15, 1947”.

Referring to the recent demolition of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh, he noted, “The Hindu-driven Islamophobic campaign has resulted in an imminent threat and the destruction of centuries-old heritage sites and places of worship, including the Akhonji, Ajgaib Shaeed Mosque, the Saharanapur Collectorate mosque, as well as the 1,000-year-old mosque, Ganj Shahida mosque, which has recently received notices from the court”.

He recalled that the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque remained a “dreadful memory of this ideology of religious intolerance, prejudice, and hatred”.

Explaining what steps Pakistan planned to take towards the issue, Khan said, “Pakistan calls upon the international community to take immediate notice of this systematic persecution in India against Muslims and continued desecration and destruction of their places of worship”.

In the weekly briefing, Khan also issued a categorical rejection of a statement made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs over a Hindu temple in Narowal.

“Contrary to India’s claim, the temple’s structure was damaged in torrential rain,” he said.