UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Committed to safeguard our interests: govt. on Mecca pact
Q1. Alongside fighter jets, drones and air-defence systems, approximately how many Pakistani troops have been deployed to Saudi Arabia in the run-up to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement of August 2026?
- A. About 3,000 troops
- B. About 5,000 troops
- C. About 8,000 troops
- D. About 12,000 troops
Q2. Among the countries publicly discussed as possible accessions to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which one has been singled out as the foremost candidate, described as a 'natural partner' of the grouping?
- A. Azerbaijan
- B. Egypt
- C. Qatar
- D. Jordan
Q3. With reference to India's official reaction to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, consider the following statements:
1. India announced that it would immediately withdraw from all connectivity and economic corridor projects passing through Saudi Arabia.
2. India stated that the government was already aware that such an agreement had been under discussion.
3. India stated that it would study the implications of the development for its national security as well as for regional and global stability.
4. India declared that the pact was aimed solely at India and demanded its complete annulment.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- India announced that it would immediately withdraw from all connectivity and economic corridor projects passing through Saudi Arabia.
- India stated that the government was already aware that such an agreement had been under discussion.
- India stated that it would study the implications of the development for its national security as well as for regional and global stability.
- India declared that the pact was aimed solely at India and demanded its complete annulment.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 1 and 4
- C. 2 and 3
- D. 3 and 4
Q4. In its official reaction to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the Ministry of External Affairs said India would study the implications of the development. The distinct spheres of implication that were explicitly enumerated in that reaction number:
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q5. The 'Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement' concluded between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025 is best described as which one of the following?
- A. An undertaking that aggression against either state shall be treated as aggression against both, extending to all military means including joint training, exercises and intelligence sharing
- B. An undertaking to hold binding consultations within a fixed period of any aggression against either state, expressly stopping short of any obligation of mutual military assistance
- C. An arrangement confined to maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb, covering joint naval patrols, port access and escort of commercial shipping
- D. An arrangement under which Saudi Arabia finances Pakistani defence procurement in exchange for basing rights, without any reciprocal security guarantee to Pakistan
Q6. The joint training, exercises and force deployments flowing from Pakistan's mutual defence arrangements with Saudi Arabia are carried forward chiefly by which Pakistani service, whose serving chief accompanied the Prime Minister at the Mecca signing of August 2026?
- A. The Pakistan Navy, headed by the Chief of the Naval Staff
- B. The Pakistan Army, headed by the Chief of the Army Staff
- C. The Pakistan Air Force, headed by the Chief of the Air Staff
- D. The Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, headed by its Director General
Q7. Under Security Council Resolution 2813 (2026), which provided for the final drawdown of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement, the residual functions linked to the Hodeidah Agreement were transferred to which body?
- A. The Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen
- B. The United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen
- C. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs country office in Yemen
- D. The United Nations Development Programme country office in Yemen
Q8. With reference to the West Asian security situation of 2026, consider the following statements:
1. Iran and allied forces have struck Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states with missiles and drones since 28 February 2026.
2. The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz affected the entirety of the world's energy supplies.
3. Security Council Resolution 2826 (2026) permanently terminated all reporting by the Secretary-General on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
4. Houthi forces operating from Yemen and Shi'ite militias in Iraq have also targeted the region.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Iran and allied forces have struck Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states with missiles and drones since 28 February 2026.
- The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz affected the entirety of the world's energy supplies.
- Security Council Resolution 2826 (2026) permanently terminated all reporting by the Secretary-General on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
- Houthi forces operating from Yemen and Shi'ite militias in Iraq have also targeted the region.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 1 and 4
Q9. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, whose General Secretariat is headquartered in Jeddah, brings together how many member states?
Q10. Which one of the following is the standing joint force created in 1984 and based in Saudi Arabia that serves as the military coordination mechanism of the Gulf Cooperation Council's member states?
- A. The Unified Arab Command, functioning under the League of Arab States
- B. The Peninsula Shield Force, functioning under the Gulf Cooperation Council
- C. The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, headquartered at Riyadh
- D. The Joint Defence Council established under the Arab League's collective security treaty
Q11. The India–Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council, the apex institutional mechanism of the bilateral relationship, was established under an agreement concluded on which occasion?
- A. The Prime Minister of India's visit to Riyadh in 2019
- B. The Saudi Crown Prince's visit to New Delhi in 2016
- C. The second Leaders' Meeting of the Council held in Jeddah in April 2025
- D. The India–Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting held in Riyadh in 2021
Q12. Consider the following pairs of personalities present at the Mecca signing of August 2026 and the offices they hold:
1. Mohammed bin Salman — Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
2. Recep Tayyip Erdogan — Prime Minister of Turkiye
3. Shehbaz Sharif — Prime Minister of Pakistan
4. Asim Munir — Foreign Minister of Pakistan
Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Mohammed bin Salman — Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan — Prime Minister of Turkiye
- Shehbaz Sharif — Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Asim Munir — Foreign Minister of Pakistan
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1 and 4
- D. 2 and 3 only