UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Mecca pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye ‘purely defensive’: Pakistan
Q1. With reference to the operational framework of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement concluded in August 2026, which one of the following statements is correct?
- A. It supersedes and terminates all previously concluded bilateral defence arrangements among the three participating states
- B. It leaves the participating states' existing bilateral defence arrangements intact and remains open to accession by other states of the region
- C. It places the armed forces of the participating states under a permanent unified operational command headquartered at Mecca
- D. It was adopted as a security protocol under the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and binds every member of that body
Q2. At the time the trilateral defence agreement was concluded at Mecca, approximately how many Pakistani troops were reported to be deployed in Saudi Arabia?
- A. About 2,000
- B. About 5,000
- C. About 8,000
- D. About 15,000
Q3. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is best described as the multilateral extension of which earlier arrangement, the first to commit its parties to treat an attack on one as an attack on the other?
- A. The Peninsula Shield Force raised under the Gulf Cooperation Council's unified military framework
- B. The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement concluded between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025
- C. The High Level Strategic Cooperation Council established between Türkiye and Pakistan
- D. The Baghdad Pact concluded among the northern-tier states of West Asia in the mid-1950s
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the leaders and officials associated with the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement:
1. Mohammed bin Salman took part as Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
2. Ishaq Dar, who publicly described the pact as purely defensive, holds the offices of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
3. Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified that the agreement identifies Iran as the sole common threat binding all three signatories.
4. Pakistan was represented at the signing exclusively by its civilian leadership, no serving military officer being associated with the occasion.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Mohammed bin Salman took part as Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
- Ishaq Dar, who publicly described the pact as purely defensive, holds the offices of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
- Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified that the agreement identifies Iran as the sole common threat binding all three signatories.
- Pakistan was represented at the signing exclusively by its civilian leadership, no serving military officer being associated with the occasion.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q5. Of the three states party to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, how many were represented at its signing by a person who is the head of state of that country?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. None
Q6. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was stated to be aimed at strengthening 'collective deterrence' against aggression. In the vocabulary of international security, this expression refers to which one of the following?
- A. An arrangement in which the military capabilities of several states are pooled so that a potential aggressor must reckon with a response from all of them together
- B. An understanding among several states to refrain from being the first to use force in any dispute arising within their common neighbourhood
- C. A commitment by a nuclear-weapon state to place its arsenal at the disposal of a non-nuclear partner facing an external threat
- D. A doctrine authorising participating states to strike an adversary's capabilities in advance once hostile intent has been established
Q7. Reckoned from the Hamas attack on Israel that opened the current phase of upheaval in West Asia, roughly how long had the region been in turmoil when the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed?
- A. About one and a half years
- B. About two and a half years
- C. About three and a half years
- D. About four and a half years
Q8. Consider the following statements about collective defence arrangements:
1. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty provides that an armed attack against one or more members in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.
2. The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in the year 1949.
3. The ANZUS Treaty established a collective security arrangement among Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
4. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty has been invoked on several occasions, the earliest being during the Gulf War of 1991.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty provides that an armed attack against one or more members in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.
- The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in the year 1949.
- The ANZUS Treaty established a collective security arrangement among Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
- Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty has been invoked on several occasions, the earliest being during the Gulf War of 1991.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q9. Commentary on the Pakistan–Saudi defence understanding held that it could complicate India's flagship connectivity initiative linking it to Europe through the Gulf. That initiative is:
- A. The International North–South Transport Corridor
- B. The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor
- C. The Chabahar Port development and transit arrangement
- D. The Trilateral Highway connectivity project
Q10. Consider the following statements comparing the three states party to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement:
1. Türkiye is the only one of the three whose territory lies in two continents.
2. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan both possess a coastline on the Arabian Sea.
3. All three are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, whose headquarters is located in a Saudi city.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Türkiye is the only one of the three whose territory lies in two continents.
- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan both possess a coastline on the Arabian Sea.
- All three are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, whose headquarters is located in a Saudi city.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q11. Which one of the following statements about the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is correct?
- A. Its permanent executive machinery functions from Jeddah, and its present name was adopted at a session of its Council of Foreign Ministers held in 2011
- B. Its permanent executive machinery functions from Riyadh, and every member is obliged to contribute forces to any collective military action it authorises
- C. It was established at Mecca in 1969 and its decisions on security matters are binding upon all its member states without exception
- D. It functions as the security arm of the League of Arab States, and membership is confined exclusively to the Arabic-speaking countries of West Asia