One of the best write ups so far on this
The Muslim world's answer to Nato?
By signing Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Defence and Military Agreement (SDMA), two nations not only deepened their bilateral ties but also carved out unique space in global security architecture
By
Hina Ayra
|
September 23, 2025
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embrace each other on the day they sign a defence agreement, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17, 2025. — Reuters
September 17 will be remembered as a watershed moment in Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations, a day that introduced a new chapter of binding strategic cooperation.
With the signing of the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Defence and Military Agreement (SDMA), both nations not only deepened their bilateral ties but also carved out a unique space in global security architecture. Analysts have compared this pact to Nato’s Article 5 commitment, where an attack on one is considered an attack on all. Yet, the SDMA goes further in its distinctiveness, aligning two asymmetric but complementary powers.
Pakistan, with its proven military muscle, nuclear capability and strategic depth, and Saudi Arabia, a leading global economic player controlling the levers of energy supply and wealth — this asymmetric alliance makes the agreement both unprecedented and consequential for the wider region.
The global landscape provides the backdrop to understand the timing and magnitude of this pact. The Middle East has been at the heart of shifting power balances in recent years, with US credibility declining amid its failure to rein in Israeli aggression against Palestinians and its chaotic exits from regional crises. Meanwhile, the East is on the rise: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has created new corridors of influence, and the BRICS bloc has expanded into a larger economic counterweight to Western-led institutions.
In this shifting order, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have taken the bold step of formalising their strategic convergence, offering each other a unique blend of security and economic reassurance.
For Pakistan, the agreement is nothing short of a diplomatic and security breakthrough. Geographically, the pact allows Pakistan access to Saudi Arabia’s southern borders, from where Israel is barely 200 miles away. This proximity opens immense possibilities for intelligence gathering and surveillance, something that Pakistan cannot achieve conveniently from its own soil.
For decades, Pakistan’s security establishment has been wary of India’s growing defence cooperation with Israel. Joint Indian-Israeli defence production projects, particularly in drone warfare and advanced missile systems, have tilted the military balance in South Asia against Pakistan.
By positioning itself closer to Israel’s neighbourhood, Pakistan gains a strategic vantage point, not just in terms of monitoring Israeli defence activities but also in planning the Saudi-Pak defence-industrial roadmap for the coming decades.
Yet, this raises difficult questions: What happens if India provokes aggression against Pakistan again? Will Saudi Arabia be ready to confront India, its long-standing economic partner and the world’s fifth-largest economy, with bilateral trade valued at over $52 billion in 2024? According to the SDMA, Riyadh is committed to supporting Pakistan in the event of military aggression. If implemented in letter and spirit, this clause gives Pakistan a powerful shield against the Indo-Israeli nexus. For Pakistan, this is strategic deterrence codified in an international agreement. For Saudi Arabia, however, it will test its balancing act, as India remains one of the largest buyers of Saudi oil and a key partner in its Vision 2030 diversification strategy.
Beyond defence, the SDMA has built-in mechanisms for logistics and joint military collaboration. This makes it a full-spectrum agreement rather than a narrow military pact. Pakistan’s military logistics expertise, honed through decades of UN peacekeeping and joint exercises, will help Saudi Arabia expand its operational readiness.
On the other hand, Pakistan benefits from Saudi Arabia's infrastructure and technological resources, which can modernise its own logistics chains. This two-way collaboration could evolve into a regional hub for defence supply and production, potentially competing with Western arms supply lines.
Another fascinating dimension is the potential financial underpinning of this alliance. Will the petrodollar system, long criticised as a Western-controlled economic tool, now be leveraged to provide Pakistan with economic relief? Pakistan has remained under the constant shadow of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), negotiating 23 bailouts since 1958, the latest being a $7 billion standby arrangement in 2023.
With Saudi Arabia committing to providing alternative financial support mechanisms, Pakistan could reduce its dependence on Western institutions. This would not only offer breathing space to Pakistan’s fragile economy, which is projected to grow at a modest 3.1% in FY2025, but also signal to the world that Riyadh is willing to rewire financial flows for strategic allies.
Equally important is the maritime dimension of this pact. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are connected through five direct and indirect sea routes that are vital for the safe transportation of oil and goods. Saudi Arabia exports nearly 17% of global crude oil and around 60% of its oil shipments pass through waters vulnerable to piracy, regional conflict or geopolitical disruption. By cooperating with Pakistan, which maintains a capable navy with strategic depth via the Arabian Sea, Saudi Arabia gains an added layer of maritime security. For Pakistan, this provides an opening to expand its naval reach, modernise its fleet and secure its own trade routes. A joint maritime security framework could well be the next big outcome of the SDMA.
Yet, the pact cannot succeed in isolation. For Saudi Arabia, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) unity remains critical. No single Gulf nation can afford to break away from the collective economic and security fabric that has defined the region since the 1980s. Therefore, Riyadh will need to bring other Gulf nations on board to operationalise the full potential of the SDMA. Similarly, Pakistan will need to carry out significant domestic legislative adjustments to ensure the smooth implementation of the pact. Issues such as joint troop deployment, intelligence-sharing protocols and arms transfers require parliamentary oversight and legal clarity. Without domestic buy-in, especially from Pakistan’s fractious political class, the agreement risks remaining a paper tiger.
US President Donald Trump accelerated the unravelling of the Western-led order by challenging Nato’s cohesion, questioning traditional alliances, and adopting unilateralist policies. The unconditional support extended by Washington to Israel, even as it continues its military campaign against Palestinians, resulting in over a million deaths in Gaza since October 2023, has disillusioned much of the Muslim world.
Finally, an attack on Doha by Israel and the US has led to the boldness of signing the SDMA by Saudi Arabia, stemming from a broader collapse of the old Western-led order. For Saudi Arabia, this became a moment of reckoning. Instead of relying on Washington, Riyadh is diversifying its strategic bets, drawing closer not only to Beijing and Moscow but also cementing a defence partnership with Islamabad.
Pakistan, too, recognises that the world is no longer unipolar. China’s rise, Russia’s reassertion, BRICS+ expansion, and the emergence of new trade and energy corridors are redefining global power. In this context, the SDMA is more than just a defence pact; it is Pakistan’s ticket to be part of the new security architecture that is being built outside the shadow of Washington and Brussels. For Saudi Arabia, it is a hedge against overdependence on Western powers that have often used Riyadh as a client state rather than as a partner.
Still, challenges abound. The agreement will be tested not just by external aggression but also by internal coherence. Pakistan’s economic fragility, political instability and governance deficits may dilute its ability to uphold commitments. Saudi Arabia’s balancing act with India, Israel and the US may pull it in different directions. Yet, the very fact that two asymmetrical powers have decided to anchor their futures together shows an awareness of the shifting sands of geopolitics.
Ultimately, September 17, 2025, may be remembered not just as the day Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a pact, but as the day the Muslim world took a bold step toward forging its own security and economic bloc. The SDMA has the potential to become the nucleus around which other regional players can rally, much like Nato became the umbrella for Western Europe. Whether it achieves this depends on how deftly both countries navigate the complexities of their respective internal and external challenges.
But one thing is clear: the world after the SDMA will not be the same. In an era where the old order is collapsing and the new one is being written, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have chosen to write their own chapter together. And for Islamabad, this marks a rare moment where strategy, diplomacy and economics converge into a decisive win.
September 17 will be remembered as a watershed moment in Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations, a day that introduced a new chapter of binding strategic cooperation.With the signing of the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Defence and Military...
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