PARIS: The new mutual defense pact signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this month surprised many and came just days after the Gulf region was rattled by Israeli strikes on a Hamas compound in Qatar.&nbsp;The agreement comes at an especially volatile time in the wake of both Iranian and Israeli strikes on Doha, uncertainty over the future of Tehran&#39;s nuclear program, and clashes between India and Pakistan in May.&nbsp;&quot;Even those accustomed to dramatic developments in the Middle East and South Asia were caught off guard by the announcement,&quot; said Joshua White from the Brookings Institution.&nbsp;While the agreement follows decades of close military ties between the countries, questions over its exact parameters, particularly any potential nuclear dimensions, remain unanswered.&nbsp;Historical ties&quot;The pact clearly formalizes and deepens decades of Saudi-Pakistani security and defense cooperation, building on a landmark 1982 protocol agreement,&quot; said White, which saw a significant deployment of Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia.&nbsp;&quot;There are a large number of Saudi military personnel who have been trained by Pakistanis, and there are Pakistani officers seconded within the Saudi Ministry of Defense,&quot; added Camille Lons, a Gulf expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.&nbsp;According to Lons, the pact likely resulted from lengthy negotiations.&nbsp;&quot;We must be cautious in linking it directly to recent developments in the region, although the broader analysis that sees it as a response to growing Israeli power in the region and Saudi doubts about American security guarantees remains valid,&quot; she told AFP.&nbsp;For Syed Ali Zia Jaffery from the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore, &quot;Pakistan will find this agreement as a way to show its growing importance in the security architecture of the Middle East,&quot; while Saudi Arabia, which has long relied on US muscle, &quot; is looking to diversify its sources of security&quot;.&nbsp;What about the nukes?Pakistan is believed to have around 170 nuclear warheads, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, but how they factor into the deal remains ambiguous.&nbsp;There has been no official statement from either side about the establishment of a nuclear umbrella.&nbsp;To date, only two such agreements exist: the US nuclear umbrella covering its European allies and Russia protecting Belarus.&nbsp;Several Saudi and Pakistani voices have hinted at this possibility.&nbsp;Saudi Arabia included &quot;conventional and non-conventional means in the treaty text,&quot; a retired Saudi general told AFP, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the topic.&nbsp;&quot;We made it very clear and written that it includes the Pakistani nuclear weapons,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Saudi analyst Ali Shihabi, known to be close to the royal court, also told AFP that &quot;nuclear is an integral part of this agreement&quot;.&nbsp;Regional experts, however, have asserted that the situation is far from clear.&nbsp;&quot;Pakistan does not have any nuclear umbrella and there is just no evidence to suggest that Pakistan plans on providing one to Saudi Arabia,&quot; said Jaffery.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan&#39;s nuclear doctrine, policy, posture, strategy, and capabilities are only India-centric.&quot;&nbsp;Others suggested a lack of clarity on the issue may be intentional.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s impossible to know the details of any potential arrangement in this area,&quot; added Bruno Tertrais from the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, &quot;because that&#39;s part of deterrence: what&#39;s often referred to as strategic ambiguity.&quot;&nbsp;And India?Saudi Arabia maintains good relations with Delhi, Pakistan&#39;s main rival.&nbsp;India&#39;s rapidly developing economy relies heavily on petroleum imports, with Saudi Arabia ranked as its third-largest supplier according to the Indian foreign ministry.&nbsp;&quot;Would Saudi Arabia get involved in an escalation between Pakistan and India? I don&#39;t think so. That would go completely against the kind of diplomacy Saudi Arabia is trying to pursue &mdash; which, like India, is one of multi-alignment,&quot; explained Lons.&nbsp;The signing of the pact comes just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict &mdash; one of the worst crises between the arch rivals in decades.&nbsp;So how would Saudi Arabia react to renewed hostilities?&nbsp;&quot;Riyadh&#39;s instinct would be to stay passive, preserving hard-won trade equities with India while honoring its security obligations to Pakistan,&quot; said White.&nbsp;&quot;That balance will now be harder to sustain.&quot;

Foreign Affairs

The agreement follows decades of close military ties between the countries.

Articles tagged with "Pakistan Sudi defense deal"

Defense pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia stuns observers