India needs to consider consequences of Saudi-Pak defence agreement

CHANGING SCENARIO

- MAJ GEN JAGATBIR SINGH, VSM (RETD)

On 17 September, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed a “strategic mutual defence agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman” (SMDA).

The ceremony at the Royal Court in AlYamamah Palace in Riyadh was witnessed by senior officials from Saudi Arabia, alongside representatives from Pakistan including the Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

To quote the joint statement: "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 comes at a critical moment. Regional politics have been upended by two years of Israeli aggression including its war on Gaza and strikes on neighbouring states capped by last week's Israeli attack on Doha, Qatar's capital, which borders Saudi Arabia. In the Indian context it has been signed soon after Operation Sindoor.

Describing the deal as the culmination of "years of discussions," a senior Saudi said that "this is not a response to specific countries or specific events but an institutionalisation of longstanding and deep cooperation between our two countries." "This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means", while declining to specify if it includes Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

PAK-SAUDI MILITARY RELATIONS

The agreement builds on nearly eight decades of close partnership between the two nations, rooted in shared Islamic heritage and longstanding defence cooperation.