The ‘Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement’ between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, concluded on 17 September 2025 during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, whereby aggression against one party is deemed aggression against both. When evaluated in the backdrop of Khawaja Asif’s statement as Minister of Defence, that our nuclear capabilities might be extended to the Saudis in extreme circumstances, is a significant development in great power politics, especially in the wake of a dying unipolar world order.

Not just allies, but guarantors 🇸🇦🇵🇰

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign a strategic mutual defence pact that could redraw the regional security map.

The agreement marks a shift from longstanding cooperation to a formalised structure of collective defence. pic.twitter.com/BxnUTjedDo

— Saud Salman AlDossary | سعود بن سلمان الدوسري (@999saudsalman) September 17, 2025

From Doha to Riyadh: An Agreement in Ambiguity

While this Pakistan-Saudi Defence Agreement has not undergone formal internal approvals from our Federal Cabinet or Parliament, rendering it legally questionable, such formalities may likely have been sacrificed in the interest of strategic ambiguity and secrecy.

Even a casual review of the Pak-Saudi relationship makes it obvious that this defence pact was not conceived overnight. It has been operative for years, just like Pakistan’s status as a nuclear power long before its formal declaration. The Israeli airstrike on Hamas officials in Doha on 9 September 2025, which resulted in the deaths of several operatives including the son of a prominent negotiator, provided........

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