By: Sanighdha
“Any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.” – The catch-phrase of the defense deal
Growing chorus for the Islamic NATO
When Israel struck Doha, the capital city of Qatar in a bid to dismantle the structures and the ongoing meetings between Hamas and other officials, little did it know that the fire from the same missile is ultimately going to become the sustaining breath of something that the world is now terming as Islamic NATO. When Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign a deal in the backdrop of numerous conflicts going on in the world, and state that if any aggression is witnessed against either country then the same shall be termed as an aggression against the other country as well. The treaty being talked about is the one, that was signed between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on 17th September 2025 by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh. The very timing of the treaty being coming into effect clearly showed that the Islamic world, not only multilaterally, but also in now-frequent bilateral agreements, is moving on the path of greater self-reliance, interdependency within defined cohorts and nexus, and taking up the issues concerning the Islamic world, more zealously on the world stage.
The Treaty is invariably titled as the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, which is not only a security-oriented pact but also a defense pact defying all the previous ones that were signed between the nations in any sphere of collaboration, whatsoever. It is an agreement aimed at collectively securing their interests, their beneficial stances, their borders, and their national security perspectives. The State Visit of the Pakistan Supremo to Saudi Arabia, and consecutively the signing of the pact, with the collective summit organised by Qatar and attended by all the leaders of the Islamic World, speaks volumes of what the world leaders of this specific grouping are up to. The Organisation of Islamic Nations provides a reliable cushion to their future dreams that are now achievable, by conducting oneself diplomatically, both bilaterally and multilaterally. September 2025 thus, has been very happening- as far as the Islamic World, the degrading strategic alliances of Israel with the Islamic Nations, the implicit failure of the Abraham Accords, and the close tie-up of the Saudi Arabia (a positive ally of India) with Pakistan- are concerned. But, let this not confuse the geopolitical enthusiasts, because Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have already been very close to each other, even though not so openly, as they are now.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: A Historical Partnership
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have had very close ties with each other, since the early 1960’s when the North Yemen Civil War was being waged and Pakistan was indeed helpful in training Saudi soldiers as a part of tactical diplomacy. There are also reports of Saudi Arabia funding and covertly recognising Pakistan’s nuclear tests and its atomic capabilities. The signing of the agreement thus follows as a natural (but not probable or predictable) progress in their relationship. However, the timing of the pact signing, the backdrop in which it was signed, the geopolitical consequences that the same is meant to have and the repercussions for the global order that the same may have and will have; have literally forced the geopolitical pundits to term the event as a watershed moment in the history of the world order. Not only this, but because the pact also signals a probable intelligence-sharing network being built up between both the nations, the agreement cannot just be termed as a mere handshake and namesake agreement, but carries all elements of seriousness demanded by any strategic partnership.
The agreement notifies that both the nations shall work together in fields of military collaboration, training programme schedules, intelligence sharing amongst others. The strategic location of Saudi Arabia as one of the most influential and important Gulf nation, further adds fuel to the fire and if Pakistan (even though it already has) is given a direct entry into the Persian Gulf Region, then the internal instability and the external falsehood of Pakistan can very easily spiral down and snowball in the Persian waters also. And the complex nexus between the Deep State of Pakistan, its military corridors, and the inability of the civilian government to reign in any of these elements is sure to wreak havoc in the extended Saudi neighbourhood, probably claiming some other all-weather allies of Saudi Arabia, as well. However, there are no specific hints with regard to nuclear cooperation.
The agreement holds significance because the same highlighted the regional vulnerability that Saudi Arabia has already felt. This also highlights the inherent fear within the Islamic countries that their internal fractures are going to become the reasons for their downfall. The hurried-up Summit called up by Qatar was attended in huge numbers, but it was not merely a summit; it was a message sent out clearly by the then present world leaders that they are the only ones taking their decisions, and when it comes to their security and regional stability, they will not be lending any ears to anybody else. The Western allies or the European allies or the Asian all-weather friends are strategically inevitable and quintessential to the existence of a stable world order, and thereby the Gulf and Islamic nations; however, in times of peril, the idea of Islamic NATO is something that can be easily agreed upon, as well.
The Gulf nations, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar are strong allies of the United States of America, but the sudden and unprecedented attack on the Al-Udied Airbase in Qatar, which is managed by the US forces, has once again proved that mere reliance on the American assurances is not something that can lead to national security and regional stability. Saudi Arabia is persistently threatened by myriad forces such as the US retrenchment on the Saudi Oil facilities, the prolonged Yemen War forcing Saudi to scale down its offensive posture, the still-continuing Gaza War and the literal inability of the world forces to reign in the uncontrollable Israeli actions- have all added to the fears of the Saudi Arabia, forcing it to stay geopolitically active and diversified in its dealings.
Concerns for India: A Parting Note
The recent agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has forced the world to actually look into its own soul and fine tune its now degraded world order. Even a chance glance at the world map by anybody today will reveal at least ten major hotspots where wars and conflicts are going on, without any assurance of them being resolved in the near future. The pact giving out and maintaining a NATO like language is therefore a signal that many more such pacts might now come up between different national alliances forcing old world order to slowly wipe out its own traces. It also raises concerns related to unabated sharing of nuclear capabilities, dynamic security paradigm, and the enhanced chance of enemies becoming friends with each other just to align their own strategic interests in today’s global order. India for her part, has always maintained a diplomatically positive relationship with Saudi Arabia and seeks to do so in the future as well.
The Delhi Declaration and the Riyadh Declaration are the highlights of India’s strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia. Both India and Saudi Arabia now have to walk a diplomatic tightrope, with efforts targeted to de-hyphenate the India-Pakistan relationship from the India-Saudi Arabia friendship. Other than that, enhancing diplomatic engagements, accelerating military modernisation efforts, and diversifying the collaborative spheres, becomes all the important now, more than ever before. However, how the situation is going to unfold and how the agreement is going to affect other State actors, remains to be seen in the future.
