Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign mutual defense agreement
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a landmark mutual defense pact on
Wednesday, deepening a decades-old security partnership at a time of heightened
regional tension following Israel’s recent strikes on Qatar.
The agreement, inked in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commits both nations to treat any
attack on one as aggression against both. Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Field
Marshal Asim Munir, also attended the signing.
A senior Saudi official told Reuters the deal was not triggered by specific
events but was the culmination of years of talks: “This is a comprehensive
defensive agreement that encompasses all military means… an
institutionalization of long-standing cooperation.”
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Regional context
The accord comes as Gulf states grow increasingly uncertain about the
reliability of the United States as a security guarantor. The timing, however,
follows Israel’s September 9 attempt to assassinate Hamas leaders in Doha, an
act that enraged Arab states and underscored shifting power dynamics in the
region.
Qatar has twice faced direct attacks in the past year—by Iran and
Israel—despite efforts by Gulf monarchies to balance ties with Tehran and Tel
Aviv before the Gaza war.
Israel, widely believed to possess nuclear weapons under its longstanding
policy of ambiguity, contrasts sharply with Pakistan, the world’s only
Muslim-majority nuclear power and home to the Islamic world’s largest standing
army.
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Nuclear questions
Asked whether Pakistan would extend a “nuclear umbrella” to the kingdom, the
Saudi official declined to be specific, reiterating the pact’s comprehensive
defensive scope. Islamabad maintains its nuclear arsenal is intended solely as
a deterrent against India, with missiles designed for eastern targets.
Deep-rooted alliance
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have long shared close strategic and religious
ties. Pakistan currently has an estimated 1,500–2,000 troops stationed in the
kingdom, providing training and operational support to Saudi forces. Riyadh
also extended a $3 billion loan to Pakistan last December to help stabilize its
reserves.
The pact follows Pakistan’s brief border conflict with India in May. India’s
foreign ministry said Thursday it was “aware of the development” and would
assess its implications for New Delhi’s security and regional stability.
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The Saudi official stressed Riyadh’s balancing act: “Our relationship with India is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship and seek to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can.”
Since independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three major wars.
After both acquired nuclear weapons in the late 1990s, conflicts between them
have remained limited, constrained by the risk of escalation.
Source: Reuters