Why the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Defence Pact is Unsettling India

When Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embraced Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, it wasn’t just symbolism — it followed the signing of a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement. The pact has bound Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim nation, closer to Saudi Arabia’s expanding security vision. While Riyadh described the deal as a formalisation of long-standing cooperation, Indian analysts see it as a direct security concern, especially after this year’s brief India-Pakistan conflict. The pact’s clause that “any aggression against either country shall be considered aggression against both” has particularly unsettled Delhi. Former Indian officials, including ex-foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, called the agreement a “grave misstep” by Riyadh, warning it would be seen as a threat to India’s security. Strategists argue that Saudi Arabia has gained manpower and potential nuclear “insurance” by binding Pakistan to its defence framework. However, experts like Michael Kugelman caution against over-reading the deal, noting that Saudi Arabia values balanced ties with India, its second-largest trading partner. Others suggest the pact is more about signalling Saudi independence from the US than direct military confrontation. For Pakistan, the agreement deepens its ties with a wealthy ally while enhancing its military profile. For India, the challenge lies less in immediate security risks and more in the shifting regional alignments, where Pakistan is increasingly backed by China, Turkey, and now Saudi Arabia. As analysts warn, the pact may not be a game-changer militarily, but it reshapes the geopolitics of South Asia and the Middle East — leaving Delhi to recalibrate its strategies.