South Asia Analyst and writer Michael Kugelman has said that “Pakistan is in a very good place” as Islamabad and Riyadh on Wednesday signed a formal mutual defence pact.
The signing of the pact was announced in a statement issued from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) late Wednesday, stating that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both”.
“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 statement read.
The statement further said that the agreement was signed based on the “historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades … based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, … shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation”, between Islamabad and Riyadh.
The development came a week after illegal Israeli strikes on Qatar heightened security concerns in the Middle East and months after Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Gen 4.5 Rafales on the night of May 6 and 7 during the conflict with India.
“Pakistan has not only inked a new mutual defence pact, it inked it with a close ally that’s also a top partner of India’s. This pact would not deter India from attacking Pakistan. But with 3 key powers-China, Turkey & now KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)—fully on Pak’s side, Pak is in a very good place,” said Kugelman in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
In another post on the same day, the analyst maintained that Islamabad used to position itself as “neutral in the Riyadh-Tehran rivalry”; however, it faced pressure from its ally, Saudi Arabia, to give it “more support”.
Declaring the defence pact signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “a major shift” of the latter country’s policy, he said it was “perhaps easier to make after the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement deal”.