Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share a long bilateral history that is getting strengthened in the foreseeable future. With both countries signing joint defence pact, the security cooperation between the two likely will become stronger.
Most importantly, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have reached an unparalleled level of defence and security cooperation as they have announced to sign the ground-breaking and historic Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement. By the virtue of this mutual agreement “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.” In essence, the agreement is reminiscent of the Article 5 of the NATO Charter that invokes collective defence that means “an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.” However, besides the real and operational limitation of collective defence, the concept remains relevant in the contemporary world and with the rapid movement of armed forces with long range precision weapon systems, collective defence could have newer and refined meanings.
Previously, in June 2025, PM Shehbaz Sharif paid a visit to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the visit, both countries laid down the foundations of a long-lasting relationship to “further elevate this strategic partnership in accordance with the shared vision of the leadership and the aspirations of the brotherly people of the two countries.”
Analysis and Arguments
In the recent history, three incidents likely will redefine the international security architecture. The first was in May 2025, when Pakistan and India fought a brief war, in which according to the international observers, Pakistan dominated the air battle and multi-domain warfare. The second was in June 2025, when Israel and the United States (U.S.) attacked Iran by achieving complete air supremacy over Iran. The third and perhaps the very important incident took place on September 9, 2025, when Israel attacked the Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar. Israel’s attack on Qatar was the worst attack on Qatar’s sovereignty, the most blatant violation of the international law, and a spectacular manifestation of Israel’s ambitions of becoming a regional policeman.
The Israeli Air Force conducted the operation with complete synergy with their American counterparts responsible for defending Qatar’s airspace armed with the most advanced MIM-104 Patriot surface to air missile systems and its various variants including the Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) and PAC-3. The system uses an AN/MPQ-65A Active Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radar and has an estimated range of more than 160 kilometres. Also, Qatar’s Air Force possesses advanced F-15QA, Rafale, and Eurofighter Typhoon aircrafts which all are equipped with Active Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radars for detecting and engaging multiple aerial as well as ground targets simultaneously. The American F-15, French Rafale, and European Eurofighter Typhoon are capable enough of detecting and engaging stealth fighters like the U.S.-made F-35 Lightening-II aircrafts, which were actually used by Israel to target Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar. The F-15, Rafale, and Eurofighter Typhoon are also equipped with latest generations of the U.S.-made AIM-120 AMRAAM and European-made Meteor air-to-air missiles, which can engage aerial targets of all sorts in excess of 110-130 kilometres.
The above mentioned credentials make one thing clear that the armed forces of Qatar are well equipped with the most advanced Western weapon systems not only capable of defending its airspace from all sorts of aerial intruders, but can also conduct offensive military operations well beyond their airspace. However, Qatar’s defence mechanism is run by the U.S. and it deliberately allowed the Israelis to violate Qatar’s sovereignty. There is little doubt that Israel conducted the attack with complete complacence of the U.S. and both worked in synergy.
Qatar spends almost 16 billion USD on defence and a large chunk of it goes to the U.S. Nonetheless, it is visible that the U.S. is strengthening Israel militarily and has provided with the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) to conduct attacks across Middle East and Northern Africa. Such an impunity has triggered fear among the Saudi leadership of a potential Israeli attack and another betrayal of defence by the Americans.
Concluding remarks
The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement is a landmark development that would have a strategic impact on the contemporary as well as future international security architecture. Moreover, it is understandable that such an agreement could greatly help in ensuring the defence cooperation and addressing the security needs of both countries. However, given the history of security agreements and alliances, such instruments come with a hefty price.
It is important to probe that how Saudi Arabia will balance its relations with Pakistan and India, especially given the hostile relationship between the two nuclear-armed South Asian powers. It is equally important to note here that given China’s massive multi-faceted investments in Pakistan and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations, how China will respond to any armed conflict between India and Pakistan in the foreseeable future. Also, how a nuclear-armed Pakistan could respond to any military misadventure orchestrated by Israel against Saudi Arabia.
In the multipolar world characterised by anarchy and uncertainty about the intentions of other states, countries like China and Russia could step-up their strategic efforts to deterring and discouraging aggressors like Israel and ensuring world peace. While at the same time, the world has greatly lost its confidence in the so-called security guarantees provided by the U.S. and its alliances.
Muhammad Ali Baig – is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), Pakistan. He is a Ph.D. candidate and a distinguished graduate of National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan
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