The Saudi-Pakistan pact is a dodgy insurance policy, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) on September 17, 2025, in Riyadh.
• The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Premier Shahbaz Sharif, with Field Marshal Asim Munir present.
• The SMDA aims to enhance defence cooperation between the two Sunni-majority nations.
• The agreement comes after Pakistan declined to deploy troops in Saudi Arabia during the 1990 Kuwait war and the 2015 Yemeni civil war.

Detailed Insights:

• Bilateral defence links between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan date back to 1951, with a peak during 1979-89 when Pakistan deployed a 20,000-strong military contingent in Saudi Arabia.
• The United States played a role in the SMDA, with U.S. President Trump hosting Field Marshal Munir for discussions on Pakistan's role in defending Saudi Arabia.
• The SMDA may have been a consolation for Riyadh after the Hamas blitz on Israel disrupted plans for Saudi recognition of Israel in exchange for a U.S. defence agreement.
• Islamabad aims to leverage the SMDA to secure defence hardware, training, and financial support from Riyadh and Washington, while also hoping it will counter its strategic disadvantage against India.
• India maintains strong ties with Saudi Arabia, being its second-largest trading partner and crude buyer, with a large diaspora in the Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia plans to invest $100 billion in India.
• The SMDA requires India to be vigilant and strengthen synergies across the Arabian Sea, despite assurances from Saudi Arabia about balancing relations with both Pakistan and India.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA): A pact between two nations to cooperate on defence matters and provide mutual support in times of crisis.
• GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council): A regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf except for Iraq.
• Ummah: The whole community of Muslims bound together by ties of religion.