Saudi Arabia’s new mutual defence pact with Pakistan marks a formal consolidation of an already long-running security relationship grounded in shared strategic priorities and religious-political affinity.

Riyadh and Islamabad have cultivated defence synergy for decades, with Pakistan often serving as Saudi Arabia’s preferred external security partner due to its trained manpower, nuclear capability, and willingness to provide direct military assistance when required.

The 2017 appointment of ex–Pakistan Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to head the Riyadh-based Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) was a watershed moment, institutionalising Pakistan’s military advisory role within the Kingdom’s emerging Sunni-led security bloc.

Under successive Chiefs of Army Staff, this engagement deepened into structured training, joint exercises, officer exchanges, and specialized counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency support aimed at bolstering Saudi Arabia’s internal stability and deterrence profile.

As Gen Asim Munir now oversees Pakistan’s military commitment, the continuity of this partnership reflects Islamabad’s dual calculus: securing crucial Saudi financial support and cementing its role as a key military-supplier to Gulf security frameworks.

For Riyadh, the inclusion of Pakistan’s well-experienced security apparatus provides insurance against asymmetric threats and conventional challenges in theatres like Yemen, where Saudi forces face Iran-aligned militias.

The new pact elevates these joint mechanisms to a treaty-backed alignment, signalling deterrence vis-à-vis regional rivals and projecting the IMCTC not merely as a coalition against extremism but as a broader Sunni-aligned security structure underpinned by Pakistani expertise.

Analysts view this as strategic continuity rather than rupture: Saudi Arabia gains assured military depth without overstretching its own manpower, while Pakistan strengthens its geostrategic relevance in the Gulf power matrix at a time of shifting alignments.

This defence compact therefore represents less a new initiative and more a formal codification of a durable Pakistan–Saudi security arc.

Agencies