Photo- Retired Major-General Gagan Deep (G. D.) Bakshi
Retired Indian Major-General Gagan Deep Bakshi strongly criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoganover a newly formed defense alignment involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Bakshi warned that this new security pact poses a strategic challenge to India and argued that New Delhi should deepen its ties with Iran as a vital counterweight.
- The remarks followed the formation of a joint defense arrangement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
- Major-General Bakshi labeled the alignment a potential “Sunni NATO” that raises serious security concerns for India.
- Bakshi asserted that India must maintain and strengthen its strategic relationship with Iran to offset the pressures from this coalition, despite external pressures from nations like Israel and the United States.
The official position of the member states is that the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement does not target any specific nation, including India. Turkish, Saudi, and Pakistani officials have explicitly stated that the treaty is purely defensive, aimed at collective regional security and deterrence. Regional experts note that its primary geopolitical drivers are counterbalancing Iranian influence, building deterrence against regional escalation, and hedging against perceived shifts in the U.S. security umbrella.
However, Indian strategic analysts view the alliance with concern due to the structural advantages it provides to an adversary
For decades, Pakistan maintained a quiet military presence in Saudi Arabia, providing training, technical assistance, and stationing thousands of troops for kingdom security. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan formalized a direct bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) on September 17, 2025, which was further expanded into a trilateral pact with Turkey called the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, 2026. Egypt may be joining the defense pact anytime soon
Bakshi was actively involved in military operations during India-Pakistan conflicts. He graduated from the Indian Military Academy in November 1971 and straightaway participated in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War
- News Agencies
