{"id":54574,"date":"2025-09-19T21:15:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T15:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=54574"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:13:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T07:43:07","slug":"defence-pact-saudi-arabia-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-09-2025\/defence-pact-saudi-arabia-pakistan","title":{"rendered":"Defence Pact Between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/International Relation&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, <strong>Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia,<\/strong> India has said that it was aware of the development and reiterated its commitment to \u201ccomprehensive national security\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Background of Meeting:<\/strong> The agreement was signed in the aftermath of an emergency summit of Arab and Muslim nations hosted by Qatar following Israel\u2019s military strikes against Hamas leaders.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The meeting brought together almost<strong> 60 countries <\/strong>that are members of the<strong> Arab League and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-02-2022\/organisation-of-the-islamic-cooperation-oic\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-02-2022\/organisation-of-the-islamic-cooperation-oic\">Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Pact: <\/strong>Called the<strong> \u201cStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u201d<\/strong> states that<strong> \u201cany aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both\u201d.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Rationale Behind the Pact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Timing of the agreement:<\/strong> The pact is seen as a message to Israel, coming after Israel attacked Qatar targeting Hamas leadership.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regional alarm:<\/strong> Israel\u2019s expanding operations across Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Qatar have worried Arab nations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>US credibility questioned: <\/strong>The attack, allegedly backed by the U.S.A, made Gulf states doubt the US as a reliable security guarantor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nuclear Weapon Fear: <\/strong>Gulf states are aware that Israel is the only nuclear-armed nation in the Middle East, increasing their sense of vulnerability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Islamic solidarity:<\/strong> The Saudi\u2013Pakistan pact projects unity within the broader Islamic bloc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Reaction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of External Affairs said that it was aware that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had been considering such a pact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India responded by saying that it will study the implications of this development for national security as well as for regional and global stability.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The government remains committed to protecting India\u2019s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Saudi Arabia Ties with India and Pakistan<\/strong><br><strong>With Pakistan:&nbsp;<\/strong><br>&#8211; Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a long history of military cooperation.&nbsp;<br>1. Pakistani troops were deployed to <strong>Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s<\/strong> and helped retake the <strong>Grand Mosque in 1979.&nbsp;<\/strong><br>2. <strong>In 1982,<\/strong> the two countries signed a<strong> Bilateral Security Cooperation Agreement,<\/strong> institutionalising training, advisory roles, and deployments.&nbsp;<br>3. <strong>Saudi Arabia<\/strong> became a <strong>key buyer of Pakistan-made arms,<\/strong> while Pakistani personnel trained the Saudi Air Force.&nbsp;<br>4. <strong>In 2025,<\/strong> the <strong>Joint Military Cooperation Committee<\/strong> in Riyadh pledged to expand training, exchanges, and joint exercises.<br><strong>With India:&nbsp;<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Trade &amp; Economy:<\/strong> India is Saudi Arabia\u2019s<strong> 2nd largest trade partner,<\/strong> while Saudi Arabia is India\u2019s 5th largest.&nbsp;<br>1. <strong>Bilateral trade in FY 2023\u201324 <\/strong>stood at USD 42.98 billion (India\u2019s exports: USD 11.56 billion, imports: USD 31.42 billion).<br>&#8211; <strong>Strategic Framework:<\/strong> Delhi Declaration (2006) and Riyadh Declaration (2010) elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership.<br>&#8211; <strong>High-Level Recognition: <\/strong>In 2016, PM Modi received <strong>Saudi Arabia\u2019s highest civilian honour,<\/strong> the King Abdulaziz Sash.<br>&#8211; <strong>Security &amp; Diplomacy:<\/strong> Saudi Arabia condemned the Pahalgam attack during Modi\u2019s visit. It has avoided strong criticism of India&#8217;s Article 370 decision and often positioned itself as a mediator between India and Pakistan.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Geopolitical Implication<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Historic move:<\/strong> It is Pakistan\u2019s most consequential defence pact in decades, also offering both strategic and economic benefits to it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on India ties:<\/strong> The pact may affect India\u2013Saudi Arabia\u2019s growing strategic and economic relations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional role:<\/strong> It formalizes Pakistan\u2019s position in West Asia\u2019s security architecture, giving it more strategic weight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arms acquisition:<\/strong> Pakistan can access US weapons using Saudi funding, as Washington seems willing to sell.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Conflict entanglement:<\/strong> Instead of benefiting Pakistan, the pact may drag it into prolonged Middle Eastern wars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The defence agreement seems a posturing exercise, and <strong>more about Israel than India.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thus, in reality, the agreement<strong> may bind Pakistan more closely to Saudi Arabia&#8217;s regional battles <\/strong>in the Middle East rather than providing it a guaranteed shield against any bilateral escalation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/148698\/OPS\/GEDESPR49.1+GKQETTNI8.1.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, India has said that it was aware of the development and reiterated its commitment to \u201ccomprehensive national security\u201d.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Background of Meeting: The agreement was signed in the aftermath of an emergency summit of Arab and Muslim nations hosted by Qatar following Israel\u2019s military strikes against Hamas leaders.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The meeting brought together almost 60 countries that are members of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Pact: Called the \u201cStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u201d states that \u201cany aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both\u201d.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-09-2025\/defence-pact-saudi-arabia-pakistan\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54574"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54752,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54574\/revisions\/54752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}