Pakistan's Defence Pacts with Saudi Arabia and Turkey
Overview
On 17 September 2025 Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement treating aggression against either as aggression against both. On 7 August 2026 Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with a similar clause. Full texts have not been published.
Latest updates
See archiveTrilateral pact signed in Makkah
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defence agreement in Makkah; Turkey's defence ministry said it would provide for ministerial meetings, joint exercises and defence-industry cooperation. (The National)
Pakistan says pact is defensive
Pakistan's Foreign Office said the agreement formalised a decades-old partnership, was defensive and was not directed against any third country. (Arab News)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement at Al-Yamamah Palace, days after an Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar
Positions on the record
Islamabad says
The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement formalises a decades-old defence partnership with Saudi Arabia; it is defensive in nature and not directed against any third country.
Quoted or summarised from the linked public statements only.
Recent developments
The pacts tie a nuclear-armed Pakistan formally to the security of the Gulf, where the United States has long been the main external security guarantor. They raise questions about how far Pakistan's commitments extend, including in any Gulf conflict involving Iran, and how they sit alongside Saudi and Turkish ties with Washington.
Recommended resources
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Could the Pakistani-Saudi Defense Pact Be the First Step Toward a NATO-Style Alliance?
via CSIS
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'Watershed': How Saudi-Pakistan defence pact reshapes region's geopolitics
18 September 2025
via Al Jazeera
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Pakistan says Saudi defense pact purely defensive, not aimed at any country
19 September 2025
via Arab News
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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey sign joint defence pact
7 August 2026
via The National
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Trump hails Makkah defence pact as 'big, bold' step for regional security
via Aaj News
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Issue Brief on Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA): Symbolism and Implications
via Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad
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Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign defence pact pledging joint response to aggression
18 September 2025
via Asia News Network (Dawn)
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The signal and substance of the new Saudi-Pakistan defense pact
via Brookings Institution
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'Doors not closed' to entry of other Arab nations in Pakistan-Saudi mutual defence deal: defence minister
via Asia News Network
Update archive
LatestSaudi–Pakistan defence agreement signed
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in Riyadh, under which aggression against either country is considered aggression against both. (Al Jazeera)
