RIYADH (Realist English). Saudi Arabia has signed a “strategic mutual defence” agreement with Pakistan, marking a significant step in Riyadh’s efforts to broaden its security partnerships beyond the United States.
The pact was signed in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It commits both countries to treat aggression against one as aggression against the other. A senior Saudi official told the Financial Times the agreement is “comprehensive” and could involve “all defensive and military means deemed necessary depending on the specific threat.”
The move comes a week after Israel’s missile strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha unsettled Gulf capitals. The attack on Qatar, a key U.S. non-NATO ally and host to American Central Command’s forward base, deepened concerns over Washington’s reliability and Israel’s growing willingness to act unilaterally in the region. Riyadh is understood to have informed Washington of the pact only after it was signed.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan share decades of close military ties. A former Pakistani army chief once commanded a Saudi-led counterterrorism coalition, and Gulf states have provided Islamabad with vital financial support. The kingdom stressed it remains committed to nuclear non-proliferation, even as Pakistan fields long-range Shaheen III ballistic missiles capable of striking across the Middle East.
The agreement comes four months after India and Pakistan exchanged missile and drone strikes, bringing the two nuclear powers close to war. Riyadh maintains strong energy and trade ties with New Delhi as well, supplying significant volumes of oil.
Saudi leaders had previously hoped to secure a formal U.S. defence treaty as part of a wider deal that would have included normalization with Israel. Those talks collapsed after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. Prince Mohammed has since accused Israel of genocide and ruled out normalization without a Palestinian state.
Despite investing more than $600 billion in the U.S. and maintaining close ties with Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia now faces the reality that a defence pact with Washington is unlikely while its relations with Israel remain frozen. Analysts say the new deal with Pakistan signals Riyadh’s intent to diversify its defence relationships, even as U.S. security guarantees remain central to Gulf strategy.
