Editorial: Saudi-Pakistan pact poses no threat

Instead of overreacting, New Delhi should deepen its strategic footprint in the Middle East, leveraging its economic clout

The optics surrounding the recent defence agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan may appear dramatic and raise concerns among a section of Indian diplomatic circles, but a closer look at the context and implications should make it clear that New Delhi has nothing to worry about. Most importantly, it must be viewed from the perspective of the changing geopolitics of the Middle East region and not from the sub-continental context. The Strategic Mutual Defence Pact, signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, is essentially meant for Middle East cooperation and has nothing to do with India. The agreement is a message to Israel and its backers. It is an expression of deep frustration among Arab nations over the growing unreliability of the United States. Despite being a security guarantor for the Arab Gulf, America has let them down badly. For instance, despite being America’s close ally, housing the largest US military base in the Gulf region, Qatar recently came under Israel’s missile attack while the Trump administration just looked the other way. Given its tensions with Iran, Turkey, and Syria, the Saudi monarchy is looking for alternatives to meet its security interests. Israel’s growing military assertiveness — bombing Arab targets with impunity — has added urgency. And America’s inability to defang Iran — its nuclear programme and its proxies that threaten the Kingdom — has left Riyadh little room for complacency. The pact must be understood in the broader context of Saudi Arabia’s balancing act. While relying on Pakistan for military muscle, the Kingdom has sought economic diversification and stable partnerships with rising powers like India.

For Pakistan, the agreement offers diplomatic validation and financial assurance at a time of deep economic crisis. On its part, India has displayed pragmatism through its measured response to the development. India and Saudi Arabia have a comprehensive strategic partnership that goes beyond oil trade. Riyadh has invested heavily in India and is on course to push more investments in the country due to a stable marketplace and good returns. Since India has no military presence in the Middle East nor does it provide military support to any nation, it has no reason to be overly concerned about Pakistan’s closeness with Riyadh. The agreement caps an already existing deep strategic defence relationship between the two countries. A specific portion of the pact, which states that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” has evoked concerns in some quarters, raising questions about whether the Saudis would join Pakistan in attacking India militarily. Viewed in the context of Saudi Arabia’s relationship with New Delhi, it is doubtful if the defence pact will come to Islamabad’s aid in the event of an India-Pakistan conflagration. New Delhi would do well not to overreact. Instead, it should deepen its own strategic footprint in the region, leveraging its economic clout.

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