Bid To Control Broader Muslim Narrative? What Pakistan-Saudi Defence Deal Means | Exclusive

Last Updated:September 18, 2025, 22:59 IST

An intelligence note said Saudi Arabia is reconfiguring security dynamics beyond US guarantees and leaning towards Pakistan's manpower, nuclear credibility and combat experience

The defence deal between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was signed by PM Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on September 17. (Image: @CMShehbaz/X)

The defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signifies more than mere hedging, shows an intelligence assessment note about the deal.

The “strategic mutual defence" agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday (September 17). It declares that any attack on either country will be considered “an aggression against both".

The defence pact comes days after an Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar, which is a key US ally in the Gulf region. India has said it will study the implications of the move for its national security as well as for regional and global stability.

According to an intelligence assessment note, which was accessed by News18, Saudi Arabia is reconfiguring its security dynamics beyond US guarantees. It is leaning towards Pakistan’s manpower, nuclear credibility, and combat experience, the note said.

The assessment note said additionally, Riyadh is sending a message to Iran and Turkey about Saudi leadership in the Islamic world. Gulf divisions are intensifying, with the UAE drawing closer to India and Israel under the Abraham Accords, it said.

It said conversely, Qatar is hedging its bets via Iran and Islamist networks. Saudi Arabia’s tilt towards Pakistan aims to balance the bloc, ensuring Riyadh retains leverage in South Asia, it added.

Saudi Arabia, the note said, is also looking to control the broader Muslim narrative due to its guardianship of Mecca and Medina. For Pakistan, this deal revives its image as the guardian of holy places, which could help secure new funding and stabilise its fragile economy, it said.

This agreement positions Islamabad as a strategic partner beyond the dependence of the Monetary Fund (IMF), it said. Another key objective is to regain Pakistan’s lost influence in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), it added.

WHAT DOES THE DEFENCE DEAL MEAN FOR INDIA?

The defence agreement came over four months after a four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan in May.

The note further said for India, this development is alarming. Although the pact will not be officially termed “anti-India", the optics of Sharif’s unprecedented royal reception suggest a Saudi attempt to revive Islamic bloc positioning against New Delhi, it said.

Sources, however, indicated that the Muslim world will never accept open hostility against India. In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains."

Strategically, however, the pact represents Indian containment in the Middle East and the revival of an “anti-India" body as well as the OIC’s resurgence against India, the note said. Saudi Arabia is using Pakistan as a counterweight to India’s growing presence in the Gulf, creating parallel security alignments where New Delhi may face restricted intelligence and influence space, it added.

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