The BRICS TimesSaudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a defence pact stating that an attack on one will be treated as aggression against both.
India maintains strong ties with Saudi Arabia, said South Asia expert Michael Kugelman while reacting to the new Saudi-Pakistan defence agreement. Although he called the deal a major shift and even a “game-changer”, Kugelman stressed that Riyadh will not allow it to damage its strategic bond with New Delhi.
The pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan clearly mentions that any strike on either country will be viewed as an attack on both. Kugelman told ANI, “Because of these terrorism concerns and the past precedent, it’s a mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan…Saudi Arabia has a strong relationship with India. It’s not going to let this pact get in the way of Saudi-India relations.”
He also recalled India’s long-standing concerns about terrorism originating from Pakistan and suggested that New Delhi could eventually take military action against Islamabad. “I think that it’s significant for India in the sense that India has a very close relationship with Saudi Arabia and also, given the history of relations between India and Pakistan, there certainly is a chance that sometime in the future, India will attack Pakistan,” Kugelman explained.
At the same time, the analyst pointed out that Pakistan has been broadening its partnerships with key players such as China, the US, Turkey, and Arab Gulf states. According to him, Saudi Arabia joining through “a formal institutionalised alliance” creates new strategic challenges for India.
“It (India) can bank on its close partnerships with its partners in Europe, Israel, with other key players in the Middle East, and with Russia. As this has formally enshrined Pakistan in the security architecture of the Middle East, it is important for India, given how important the Middle East is to India’s own strategic interests,” Kugelman concluded.
The agreement, officially called the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement,” was signed in Riyadh shortly after Israel launched strikes on Hamas leaders based in Doha, Qatar. The treaty clearly states that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
Reacting to the development, India underlined its commitment to safeguarding national interests and maintaining full-spectrum security. Highlighting New Delhi’s partnership with Saudi Arabia, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India trusts Riyadh will keep in mind mutual sensitivities and shared interests.
