The Pakistan-Saudi strategic defense agreement in an evolving region
Umar Karim
November 16, 2025 05:50
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia took their bilateral engagement to the next level in September this year when both countries signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.
The nearly seven-decade long defense partnership between the two countries is rooted in a multifaceted relationship, which has now been formalized with both sides affirming to stand with each other in case of aggression by an external actor. Yet, so far the practical modalities of this strategic agreement had remained elusive. Follow up meetings earlier this week between the two countries have led to encouraging public statements regarding the progress of ongoing defense cooperation projects.
However, this pact continues to raise questions with regards to the possible impact of the agreement on regional security dynamics and defense policy-making in both countries.
In order to get an answer to this, one perhaps needs to delve into the history of the bilateral defense partnership. There have been numerous occasions when Pakistan has openly contributed toward Saudi national security and its territorial integrity. Yet, both countries have also had different points of view and regional geopolitical developments over the years. Although both sides have usually exhibited an alignment in their geopolitical inclinations in the past, they have stopped short of the actual involvement of Pakistan’s military in a conflict.
Different variables historically placed restraints on Pakistan fully committing to a defense partnership with Saudi Arabia, so the agreement of earlier this year is indeed an extraordinary step taken by decision-makers. This is the first such security agreement of its kind that Saudi Arabia has signed with a regional stakeholder and a nuclear power. Although the language of the joint declaration issued after the agreement had signalled that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities and its nuclear deterrence would also be extended to Saudi Arabia in case of aggression, Pakistan’s strategic community has forcefully denied this.
The pact between the two countries will not just become a cornerstone of bilateral defense cooperation, but also affect regional security dynamics and Pakistan’s involvement within the larger Middle East.
Umar Karim
It appears that the recent constitutional amendment has addressed this issue. The restructuring of the national security establishment, the centralization of defense decision making in the office of the Chief of the Defense Forces (CDF), also the Army Chief and the unification of the tri-services strategic commands under the national strategic command and appointment of its chief by the CDF are critical in this regard. With these structural changes, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be able to better coordinate their defense cooperation, joint planning and command dynamics.
It could be said that Saudi Arabia remains embedded within a US-led security environment. A majority of the Saudi defense arsenal and weapon systems have been acquired from the United States, and the Saudi defense partnership with Washington continues to remain indispensable for its national security; the signing of the SMDA with Pakistan does not really change this.
If it transpires that US security commitments fall short of Saudi expectations, Pakistan, under its current military leadership, will no doubt hold even greater strategic significance for Saudi Arabia. In this case, the SMDA between the two countries will not just become a cornerstone of bilateral defense cooperation, but will also affect regional security dynamics and Pakistan’s involvement within the larger Middle East.
