Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement

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Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement
Type Defense pact
Signed17 September 2025;5 days ago (2025-09-17)
Location Al Yamamah Palace, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Signatories
Parties
Language English

The Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) is a security and defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Under this agreement, both countries committed to treating any act of aggression against one as an act against both. It was signed on 17 September 2025 at the Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh during a state visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long-standing military cooperation, defense training programs, economic, cultural and religious ties. [4] [5]

In recent years, changes in Middle Eastern geopolitics (including concerns about external threats, reactions to Israeli military actions, and perceptions of American reliability as a guarantor of security) have heightened regional security concerns. Many analysts see the agreement in part as a response to such dynamics. [6] [4] [7]

The Financial Times reported that the Israeli airstrike in Qatar, another U.S. ally, a week earlier had deeply rattled Gulf states' feeling of security, adding to long-running concerns about U.S. unpredictability and commitment to their defense. A senior Saudi official stated, "We hope it will reinforce our deterrence — aggression against one is aggression against the other". [8]

Agreement

The treaty was signed on 17 September 2025 by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh. It came against the backdrop of Israeli strikes on Qatar and the following Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit in Doha. [9] Both countries have historically had close economic, religious, and security ties with each other. The timing of the pact appeared to be a warning after Israel's expanding military offensive across the Middle East. [10] [11] [12]

A senior Saudi official told Reuters, regarding whether Pakistan would provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella, "This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means." [6]

Reactions

Some neighboring states and regional powers have expressed concern about the impact on the regional security balance. India in particular has reacted with statements that it is carefully monitoring the development. [13] [14] Pakistani newspaper Dawn called it as "the most significant upgrade to Pakistan–Saudi defense relations in decades". [15] Others note the ambiguity in the operational details of the agreement, particularly how the nuclear deterrence and mutual defense clause will be activated in practice. [4] [6] Former diplomat Hussein Haqqani noted that the treaty likely covers the missile defense. [16]

References

  1. ↑ "HRH the Crown Prince, Pakistan Prime Minister Hold Official Talks, Sign Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement". Saudi Press Agency.
  2. ↑ "Joint Statement on the State Visit of Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  3. ↑ "Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign defence pact pledging joint response to aggression".
  4. 1 2 3 "Saudi Arabia signs mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan".
  5. ↑ "Pakistan, KSA sign defence pact".
  6. 1 2 3 Dahan, Maha; Shah, Saeed (17 September 2025). "Saudi Arabia, nuclear-armed Pakistan sign mutual defence pact" . Reuters. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Saudi Arabia Seeks New Security Alliances as Trust in U.S. Erodes".
  8. ↑ England, Andrew; Al, Ahmed Omran; Jilani, Humza (17 September 2025). "Saudi Arabia signs 'strategic mutual defence' pact with Pakistan" . Financial Times. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Hussain, Abid. "'Watershed': How Saudi-Pakistan defence pact reshapes region's geopolitics". Al Jazeera.
  10. ↑ "Saudi Arabia signs mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan". The Times of Israel.
  11. ↑ "Saudi Arabia signs a mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan after Israel's attack on Qatar". Associated Press News .
  12. ↑ "Pakistan says its nuclear programme can be made available to Saudi Arabia under defence pact". The Hindu.
  13. ↑ "Defence pact: Pakistan-Saudi Arabia declare joint response to any aggression; India reacts". The Times of India.
  14. ↑ "Saudi-Pakistan defence deal a worry for India: Congress". The Economic Times.
  15. ↑ "Here is what analysts have to say about the Pak-Saudi defence agreement". Dawn. 18 September 2025.
  16. ↑ "Hussein Haqqani via Twitter".
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