Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, pledging mutual support in the event of external aggression. The pact, inked during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, is being seen as a landmark step in formalising decades of security cooperation between the two countries.

A shift to institutionalised security ties

Announcing the agreement, a joint statement after Sharif’s talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said,

“This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieve security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.”

The deal stipulates that an attack on either nation will be treated as an attack on both, effectively elevating their traditional security ties into an institutional military framework. A senior Saudi official described the pact as the culmination of “years of discussions” and clarified that it was not a reaction to any single conflict.

“This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means,” the official told Reuters, though he declined to specify whether it covered Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Regional context

The signing comes just days after an extraordinary joint session of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), convened following Israel’s September 9 strike on Doha that killed senior Hamas leaders. However, Saudi officials underlined that the defence agreement was not directly linked to that incident.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share a long record of military collaboration. Since 1967, Islamabad has trained more than 8,200 Saudi military personnel, and the two nations have held multiple joint exercises.

India reacts

Reacting to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs said New Delhi was aware such a pact had been under discussion.

“We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The government was aware that this development, which formalises a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

He added that India would assess all security implications:

“We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.”

At the same time, a Saudi official stressed that Riyadh’s ties with New Delhi remain strong: “Our relationship with India is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship.”

Looking ahead

Analysts say the pact could reshape South Asia’s security architecture by giving formal structure to Saudi–Pakistani military alignment, while Riyadh simultaneously pursues closer economic and security engagement with India.