UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — A new security triangle emerges with the Makkah Pact

Q1. With reference to the states associated with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) and its predecessor arrangement, consider the following: 1. Saudi Arabia — a party to the MJDA, and earlier a party to the bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement of September 2025. 2. Pakistan — a party to the MJDA, and earlier a party to the same bilateral agreement of September 2025. 3. Türkiye — a party to the MJDA, having also been a party to the bilateral defence agreement concluded at Riyadh in September 2025. 4. Egypt — a founding party to the MJDA at the time of its signing in August 2026. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Saudi Arabia — a party to the MJDA, and earlier a party to the bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement of September 2025.
  2. Pakistan — a party to the MJDA, and earlier a party to the same bilateral agreement of September 2025.
  3. Türkiye — a party to the MJDA, having also been a party to the bilateral defence agreement concluded at Riyadh in September 2025.
  4. Egypt — a founding party to the MJDA at the time of its signing in August 2026.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q2. The collective-defence obligation formalised trilaterally at Mecca in August 2026 was an extension of an obligation first created under which one of the following instruments?

  • A. The Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance announced by the Saudi defence ministry in July 2026
  • B. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, to which Türkiye has long been a party
  • C. The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in September 2025
  • D. The Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation mechanism operated by Saudi Arabia with India

Q3. The official Government of India statement that the implications of the Saudi Arabia–Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement for national security and regional stability would be studied was issued by which one of the following?

  • A. The National Security Council Secretariat functioning under the Prime Minister's Office
  • B. The Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Defence
  • C. The Internal Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. The Ministry of External Affairs, through its Official Spokesperson

Q4. As publicly described at the time of its signing, what was the stated scope of the mutual obligation created by the Saudi Arabia–Pakistan agreement of September 2025?

  • A. Consultation and joint staff talks on threats, carrying no obligation of armed assistance to the other party
  • B. Automatic extension of a nuclear guarantee by the nuclear-armed party to the non-nuclear party
  • C. All military means, with a framework for training, exercises and intelligence sharing
  • D. Joint protection of maritime shipping lanes and energy infrastructure of the two parties

Q5. Consider the following statements comparing the 14-nation multinational maritime defence coalition with the trilateral defence pact concluded at Mecca: 1. The maritime coalition's stated remit is confined to specified waters — the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — whereas the Mecca pact is framed as a general commitment that an armed attack on any one party is an attack on all. 2. Pakistan and Türkiye figure among the states named as supporting the maritime coalition, and both are also parties to the Mecca pact. 3. Djibouti and Sudan figure among the states named as supporting the maritime coalition, and both are also parties to the Mecca pact. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The maritime coalition's stated remit is confined to specified waters — the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — whereas the Mecca pact is framed as a general commitment that an armed attack on any one party is an attack on all.
  2. Pakistan and Türkiye figure among the states named as supporting the maritime coalition, and both are also parties to the Mecca pact.
  3. Djibouti and Sudan figure among the states named as supporting the maritime coalition, and both are also parties to the Mecca pact.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Support of 14 nations for the multinational maritime defence coalition covering the Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden was announced in 2026 by which one of the following?

  • A. The defence ministry of Türkiye
  • B. The defence ministry of Saudi Arabia
  • C. The defence ministry of Pakistan
  • D. The defence ministry of Egypt

Q7. Which one of the following correctly describes the body through which NATO takes its decisions, including any decision arising under the collective-defence clause?

  • A. The North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body, chaired by the Secretary-General
  • B. The Military Committee, which alone commands all allied forces and whose decisions bind every member automatically
  • C. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, which exercises exclusive authority over all political decisions of the alliance
  • D. The Office of the Secretary-General, which is entirely independent of member governments and decides all alliance policy

Q8. With reference to the North Atlantic Treaty and its collective-defence clause, consider the following: 1. Türkiye is a member of NATO and is therefore bound by the Article 5 commitment. 2. Pakistan, though the only nuclear-armed state among the three parties to the Mecca pact, is not a NATO member. 3. Article 5 has been invoked for the first and only time in 2001, following the September 11 attacks. 4. The treaty establishing the alliance was signed at Brussels in 1952, Brussels remaining its headquarters since then. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Türkiye is a member of NATO and is therefore bound by the Article 5 commitment.
  2. Pakistan, though the only nuclear-armed state among the three parties to the Mecca pact, is not a NATO member.
  3. Article 5 has been invoked for the first and only time in 2001, following the September 11 attacks.
  4. The treaty establishing the alliance was signed at Brussels in 1952, Brussels remaining its headquarters since then.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3 only

Q9. With reference to India's engagement with Saudi Arabia and the emerging Gulf security architecture, consider the following: 1. The Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation is the institutional mechanism for bilateral India–Saudi defence engagement, operating under a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation. 2. Saudi Arabia is India's fourth-largest trading partner. 3. India is a party to the collective-defence clause adopted at Mecca in August 2026. 4. Saudi Arabia is the single largest source of India's remittance inflows. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation is the institutional mechanism for bilateral India–Saudi defence engagement, operating under a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation.
  2. Saudi Arabia is India's fourth-largest trading partner.
  3. India is a party to the collective-defence clause adopted at Mecca in August 2026.
  4. Saudi Arabia is the single largest source of India's remittance inflows.
  • A. 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q10. Consider the following statements comparing India's and Pakistan's economic exposure to Saudi Arabia: 1. Saudi Arabia accounts for a substantially larger share of Pakistan's total remittance inflows than of India's. 2. The number of Indian nationals working in Saudi Arabia is smaller than the number of Pakistani nationals working there. 3. Pakistan's share of imports sourced from Saudi Arabia nearly doubled to about 8.9 per cent over the five years to 2023. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Saudi Arabia accounts for a substantially larger share of Pakistan's total remittance inflows than of India's.
  2. The number of Indian nationals working in Saudi Arabia is smaller than the number of Pakistani nationals working there.
  3. Pakistan's share of imports sourced from Saudi Arabia nearly doubled to about 8.9 per cent over the five years to 2023.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q11. In 2026, the conditions on which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened — including a demand that Washington cease regional interference — were set out on behalf of which one of the following Iranian bodies?

  • A. The Artesh, Iran's regular armed forces and their naval arm
  • B. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
  • C. The Basij paramilitary volunteer force
  • D. The Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran

Q12. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are together members of which one of the following organisations, whose General Secretariat has functioned from Jeddah since the body's establishment in 1971?

  • A. The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation
  • B. The Gulf Cooperation Council
  • C. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
  • D. The League of Arab States