The recent strengthening of US-Pakistan relations has emerged as a new friction point in the evolving India-US strategic partnership. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman highlighted that while India has long tolerated Washington’s links with Islamabad, the sudden resurgence of cooperation, especially on the political and military fronts, has complicated India’s calculus.

With India-US ties already grappling with trade disputes, policy disagreements, and geopolitical divergences, the deepening US-Pakistan engagement adds another sensitive layer to bilateral relations.

A key indication of these ties gaining momentum is the anticipated visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Washington to meet President Donald Trump. Kugelman stressed that such a development would signal the seriousness with which the US is re-engaging Pakistan at the highest levels.

He also pointed to Pakistan’s powerful military leadership—particularly Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir—as playing a decisive role in consolidating Islamabad’s outreach to Washington. Munir’s earlier meeting with President Trump, according to Kugelman, set the stage for a more institutionalized renewal of cooperation.

Beyond the US dimension, Pakistan’s recently signed mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia has further altered regional security dynamics. Kugelman described the agreement as a “game changer,” noting that for the first time, Pakistan is formally anchored in the regional security architecture of the Middle East. 

The pact pledges that aggression against either Saudi Arabia or Pakistan would be treated as an attack on both, a development that could have implications for India’s security environment, given its complex relationship with Islamabad.

For India, the development poses a challenge as New Delhi has simultaneously cultivated deep strategic and economic relations with Riyadh. As India is heavily dependent on energy imports from the Gulf and also maintains a significant expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, the agreement introduces an additional layer of geopolitical sensitivity. Kugelman, however, underlined that Saudi Arabia is unlikely to let this new pact damage its growing strategic and economic cooperation with India, given the depth of bilateral links built in recent years.

Still, the convergence of Pakistan’s strengthened ties with the US, its enduring partnership with China and Turkey, and now a formalized defence framework with Saudi Arabia marks a revival of its international leverage. This multifaceted network of alliances enhances Pakistan’s ability to withstand pressure and maintain strategic relevance, thereby narrowing India’s space to isolate it diplomatically, especially on counter-terrorism concerns.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs responded cautiously to the Saudi-Pakistan agreement. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal underscored that while the pact formalizes what had long been under consideration, New Delhi would study its implications carefully. India noted that while it acknowledges the arrangement, its priority lies in safeguarding its national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security across all domains. By stressing vigilance and measured evaluation, the MEA projected both awareness of potential risks and confidence in India’s own growing partnerships.

From a broader perspective, India continues to maintain a strong geopolitical footing through deepening ties with the United States, Europe, Israel, key Middle Eastern nations, and Russia. Kugelman observed that this extensive network of partnerships contributes to India’s strategic resilience.

However, he cautioned that the Middle East’s evolving security structure—now explicitly including Pakistan—demands heightened Indian attention, particularly given the region’s direct impact on energy security, diaspora security, trade, and maritime interests.

Ultimately, while the US-Pakistan resurgence and Pakistan-Saudi defence pact complicate India’s strategic environment, New Delhi remains positioned as a major power with diversified alignments. The challenge ahead lies in balancing its expanding global partnerships with the need to manage regional shifts that increasingly empower Pakistan’s diplomacy and security role.

Based On ANI Report