In a policy analysis titled Pakistan’s strategic defense pact with Saudi Arabia: A new security architecture in the wider Middle East, published by the Middle East Institute (2025), Naade Ali and Marvin G. Weinbaum examine the new defense pact signed between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on September 17, 2025. They argue that this agreement marks a turning point in South and West Asian geopolitics—transforming decades of symbolic solidarity into a binding military partnership that could redefine regional security alignments amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.
The report places the pact within the context of regional tensions and recent conflicts in the Middle East. Following renewed instability, Pakistan, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, sought to play a more active diplomatic role by engaging Gulf and Arab partners in dialogue and cooperation. These efforts reflected Pakistan’s ambition to position itself as a responsible and constructive regional actor, which eventually led to the signing of the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) with Riyadh.
At its core, the SMDA establishes a framework for collective defence and joint deterrence, pledging that an attack on one will be considered an attack on both. While the document does not identify any specific adversary, it aligns the two countries’ security perceptions and affirms that their cooperation will remain defensive, aimed at deterrence rather than aggression. The pact, therefore, represents an institutionalisation of their long-standing defence cooperation and integrates Pakistan, indirectly, into the Gulf Cooperation Council’s broader security network.
The timing of the pact is notable, coming as Gulf states are working to strengthen joint defence capabilities through regional frameworks such as the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Joint Defence Agreement. Within this context, the Saudi–Pakistan partnership complements broader regional efforts to improve interoperability, joint exercises, and defence readiness. Pakistan’s established defence ties with individual Gulf states—such as Qatar, Oman, and the UAE—provide an additional layer of support for this collective framework.
For Pakistan, the pact offers both strategic and economic dividends. It enhances its credibility as a middle power and a potential security guarantor in the Middle East while opening avenues for investment and energy cooperation. The arrangement also bolsters Pakistan’s deterrent posture vis-à-vis India by linking it to one of New Delhi’s primary energy suppliers.
For Saudi Arabia, the pact supports Vision 2030 goals by fostering defence self-reliance and diversifying beyond reliance on U.S. security guarantees. Islamabad’s military expertise, industrial capacity, and nuclear deterrent potential provide Riyadh with strategic depth and flexibility at a time of shifting regional alliances.
In conclusion, Ali and Weinbaum suggest that the Saudi–Pakistan defence pact reflects a broader geopolitical transition—one where emerging middle powers pursue security cooperation independent of great-power dominance. By institutionalising military coordination and promoting stability through partnership, the agreement provides both nations with a platform to advance shared security objectives and greater strategic autonomy within a rebalanced world order.