Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a historic mutual defence agreement, significantly upgrading a decades-long security partnership at a time of mounting regional tensions.
The “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” (SMDA) was signed on Wednesday in Riyadh by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was welcomed with full royal protocol, including Saudi F-15 fighter jets and a red-carpet reception. Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, also attended the ceremony at the Royal Court in Al-Yamamah Palace.
Under the pact, both countries pledged to consider any attack on either nation as an attack on both. The deal encompasses all military means of defence, with a Pakistani statement describing it as a “shared commitment to strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression and to enhance regional and global peace.”
A senior Saudi official said the agreement was “the culmination of years of discussions” and aimed at institutionalising deep-rooted cooperation rather than responding to any single event. However, the move follows Israel’s airstrikes on Doha last week targeting Hamas leaders during ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar – an attack that infuriated Arab capitals.
Observers say the agreement could shift the region’s strategic balance. Gulf states, long reliant on the US as their security guarantor, have grown increasingly uneasy about Washington’s reliability, particularly amid the Gaza war and repeated strikes on neighbouring states, including Qatar.
The pact also comes amid renewed India-Pakistan tensions, following a brief but intense conflict earlier this year when both nuclear-armed rivals exchanged strikes on military bases. Asked about balancing ties, the Saudi official said Riyadh’s relationship with India “is more robust than it has ever been” and will continue alongside strengthened security cooperation with Pakistan.
With Pakistan regarded as the Muslim world’s only nuclear power and Saudi Arabia as the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, analysts say the new defence pact cements one of the most consequential alliances in the region’s modern history.
