Jai Siya Ram

What’s in the Deal

1. Name & Signatories
   • Known as the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA).
   • Signed on September 17, 2025, in Riyadh. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed for Saudi Arabia, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed for Pakistan.
2. Core Commitment
   • “Any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.” This is the central guarantor phrase that makes this pact mutual defence.
   • The agreement aims to strengthen joint deterrence and defence cooperation.
3. Scope & Provisions
   • Includes expanded defence cooperation: training, intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, etc.
   • It’s described as a comprehensive agreement, encompassing “all military means” (though public texts don’t explicitly enumerate every kind).
4. Background / Context of Signing
   • The pact formalises long-standing security ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
   • Signed amid rising regional tension, especially after Israel’s airstrike in Doha and growing concerns among Gulf states about U.S. credibility as a security guarantor.

What Is Not Clear / Not in the Public Text

• Whether Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities are formally part of the deterrence umbrella for Saudi Arabia (though hinted at).
• Specific operational mechanisms: command structure, joint rapid-reaction forces, basing rights, exact geographic scope of cooperation.
• Details on duration / renewal / exit clauses of the pact.

Reactions & Implications

1. Regional Significance
   • Signals Saudi Arabia is seeking stronger security guarantees beyond traditional U.S. ties.
   • For Pakistan, it’s a boost in security partnerships and diplomacy, asserting itself more visibly in Gulf-Arab strategic dynamics.
2. India’s View
   • India has expressed concern and is closely monitoring the development. It views the pact as a new factor affecting regional security dynamics.
3. Strategic Signaling
   • It serves as a deterrence signal to potential aggressors that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan view threats to one another as shared threats.
   • May shift alignments, force calculus in the Middle East/South Asia region.

Risks / Challenges & What to Watch

• Implementation: the pact must translate into joint readiness, mutual intelligence sharing, military interoperability. Without these, it might remain symbolic.
• Reaction from other major powers: U.S., India, Israel, and Iran will react (diplomatically and strategically) to this pact.
• Avoiding escalation: when defence pacts become public, adversaries may respond (alliances formed against them, military posturing etc.).
• Cost & logistics: large geographic separation, different militaries, infrastructure, funding all pose challenges.