Bangladesh exploring ‘Islamic NATO’: Why joining Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arabia's Mecca pact may make sense to Dhaka

Bangladesh officials maintain that their willingness to evaluate the Mecca pact is guided strictly by national interest and a desire to diversify ties.

Mecca Agreement: A Muslim Nato or yet another Baghdad Pact? Joseph Massad on Fri, 08/21/2026 - 21:54 The Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani pact reinforces the US-run regional order that analysts claim it defies - which explains why Trump was so quick to bless it Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoga

This gives a new template to Bangladesh's foreign policy at a time when there have been strains over a Sheikh Hasina event in New Delhi even as both countries are working towards a reset in ties.

There are many intricate details about the new Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani alliance we do not yet know, suggests ROGER McKENZIE, but its impact could be considerable

The Mecca Defence Agreement does not mark a new era of US power or retreat. It formalised a Gulf security shift already underway, writes Kayhan Valadbaygi.

Retired Maj.-Gen. Gagan Deep Bakshi says India needs Iran as a counterweight to Pakistan and will not sacrifice its interests to accommodate Israel.