Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has called Israel an “illegitimate” state and urged Muslim countries to unite against what he described as a wider threat to the Muslim world. His remarks came just one day after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca defense pact on August 7, fueling fresh speculation over the future of an “Islamic NATO”-style security bloc. Asif called for a united military front and linked his position to the Palestinian issue, while saying Pakistan’s opposition to Israel would remain unchanged regardless of who leads the country.