Pakistan–Saudi Defence Pact: Recasting the Gulf Security Architecture

The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is the outcome of the complex interplay of changing balance of power, psychology of the ruling elite and institutional dynamics. Even though the defence pact came against the backdrop of Israel’s missile strikes in Doha against Hamas in September 2025, it must be situated in the context of the recent joint US–Israel military campaign against Iran and Tehran’s counter-strikes, which have transformed the regional security environment from indirect proxy competition to direct interstate conflict, subsequently drawing Pakistan into the role of a mediator to broker a fragile ceasefire. The article argues that the SMDA acts more as a pragmatic element of deterrence rather than a military alliance because of the constraints affecting both countries. For Saudi Arabia, the pact should be seen as a rational response considering an increasingly volatile security environment, which allows Riyadh to enhance its strategic leverage vis-à-vis Washington, notwithstanding its overall efforts to diversify its security partnerships beyond the USA. For Pakistan, this pact is mainly shaped against the backdrop of its anti-Indian approach, even as Pakistan’s manoeuvring space is itself limited due to the fear of getting entangled directly with Iran or Israel. Collectively, all these dynamics have ramifications for India’s strategic calculus, as well as for the emergence of a multipolar Middle East.