THE recently signed dynamic defence pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a mutually beneficial agreement, would further cement bilateral relations between them and have a decisive impact on the regional strategic environment.
Since the announcement of the Agreement, the analysts have been vigorously debating the consequences of the upgradation of the strategic cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh.
The bilateral agreements create a conducive environment for political, economic and diplomatic cooperation. The objective analysis of the Agreement always facilitates the policy makers to maximize the dividends. However, the cynical conclusions drawn before the deal’s execution foster mistrust and hinder the achievement of the desired objectives. Indeed, the defence pact is a serious business, but it is a common practice in international relations. Moreover, in the context of contemporary global geopolitics, the emergence of minilateral security groups such as Quad, I2U2, AUKUS, etc., has rejuvenated the alliances politics, with the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement being a significant part of this trend.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud reviewed the historic and strategic relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2025. Consequently, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, which aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.
Since 1967, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed robust defence cooperation. The signing of a defence protocol in 1967 marked the beginning of a relationship aimed at stationing Pakistani military advisers and trainers in Saudi Arabia and providing training opportunities for the Saudi officer corps at Pakistan’s military academies. The subsequent defence protocol signed in 1982 expanded the scope to include the stationing of Pakistani troops in the country for defence, military training, defence production and sharing and joint exercises. Notably, since 2017, the former Pakistan Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif has been leading the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition of 42 Muslim nations, further solidifying the defence ties between the two nations.
The recent materialization of the Agreement has brought to life Prime Minister Shehbaz’s vision to ‘transform the deep-rooted, historic fraternal Pakistan-Saudi Arabia ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership.’ This pact is set to significantly enhance the capacity building and training of both states’ armed forces, facilitate joint military exercises to improve operational readiness and interoperability and foster defence industry collaboration on emerging technologies such as cybersecurity, drone technology and space-based defence systems, as well as the co-production of conventional military equipment. These developments pave the way for a promising future of the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The cardinal aspect of the Agreement is that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”It confirms the binding commitment to collective security, which substantiates the rights and responsibilities of both sides. Simultaneously, it intensifies the security dilemma of a few states in the Middle East and South Asia. Besides, it may disturb the great powers’ Middle Eastern security architecture. It has an ingredient to spoil the US ambitious new regional hegemonic militaristic initiative through Israel. Moreover, the nuclear abolitionists are alarmed about the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Hence, Riyadh and Islamabad need to steward the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement intelligently.
The critics of the defence pact deliberately or inadvertently ignore the undisputed reality of Pakistan’s security integration with the Arabian/Persian Gulf nations. The instability in the region directly undermines Pakistan’s national interest. Therefore, it’s imperative for the Pakistani leadership to intelligently monitor regional developments, including inter-state and intra-state conflicts and adjust its foreign and strategic policy accordingly to safeguard and advance its national interest. Of course, Pakistan cannot bear the burden of the net-security provider; it can be an essential actor in the collective regional security arrangement of the region, which is permissible under international law. Many analysts have expressed their serious reservations about Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s statement that his country’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed. It has garnered a plethora of criticism from Western and Indian analysts. Many Pakistani observers also expressed their concerns over the statement. However, a balanced and nuanced interpretation is necessary to understand the implications of this statement fully. There is nothing wrong with the statement, provided it is understood in the proper context.
If a nuclear-armed state constitutes a defence pact with any state, its nuclear weapons have an implicit or explicit connotation. Pakistan is mature enough to face or counter the fictitious criticism or safeguard its own legitimate security interests without the fear of criticism. Today, Germany, a non-nuclear weapon state, a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, having the United States’ nuclear umbrella, is discussing a nuclear deterrence arrangement with France and the United States. Similarly, Saudi Arab, a non-nuclear-weapon state and a party to NPT, could devise a strategy to prevent nuclear blackmail and nuclear aggression. Conversely, Pakistan will prepare itself to provide an extended deterrence to its strategic ally without compromising its full-spectrum nuclear deterrence vis-à-vis India.
In conclusion, in the rapidly transforming regional and international strategic environment, it is imperative that Islamabad and Riyadh ensure that the recently inked Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement is not just symbolic, but practical. The successful implementation of this pact will not only enhance the defence capabilities of both states but also strengthen their strategic partnership. Failure to do so may lead to unwarranted criticism and sanctions, without any tangible strategic benefits. Therefore, the practical implementation of this agreement should be a top priority for both nations.
—The writer is Prof at the School of Politics and IR, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
