Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia Sign ‘Badr’ Defence Pact in Doha, Agree Joint Defence Production
DOHA: Pakistan took another long step towards defence self-reliance on Wednesday, joining Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia in Doha to sign the Badr defence pact, a four-nation memorandum meant to pool the countries’ defence industries and cut their reliance on outside suppliers. The memorandum was signed by the four defence ministries, Pakistan’s defence production organisation and Turkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries.
Who signed, and who was in the room
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif signed for Pakistan. Around the table were Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Indonesian Deputy Defence Minister Yusuf Jauhari. Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Harraj and Haluk Gorgun, head of Turkiye’s defence industries presidency, were also present, and photographs of the ceremony were released by the Turkish defence ministry.
Production, technology and training at the centre
A joint statement said the pact centres on defence manufacturing and joint production, technology transfer and development, research and development, and technical training. Gorgun said technology sharing, joint development and stronger domestic production lie at the heart of a sustainable defence industry, adding that the Badr memorandum would turn the four countries’ complementary capabilities into concrete projects. The statement stressed the deal’s economic weight as well: equipment developed together could also meet the needs of allied and friendly nations, and other friendly countries may join later under agreed criteria. Khawaja Asif said the memorandum reflected a shared commitment to working with trusted partners, strengthening self-reliance and contributing to regional peace and stability.
A second big framework in two months
The signing follows August’s Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, under which an attack on one country is treated as an attack on all three. Two major defence frameworks in as many months, struck amid a fast-shifting regional security picture, mark a clear deepening of Islamabad’s strategic engagement with Gulf and Muslim-majority partners.
