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The bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has always remained warm since the independence of Pakistan. But with the signing of the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA), the relationship has veritably entered a whole new paradigm that is bound to impact the political, strategic and security dynamics of the broader Middle East and South Asia. 

Defense partnership and cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is not something new. After Pakistan’s independence in 1947, both countries maintained cordial ties. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s defense engagement started to materialize in 1967 when both countries signed a defense cooperation agreement during the visit that year of then Saudi minister of defense, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz to Pakistan. This agreement led to the dispatch of over 100 Pakistani military and air force officers to Saudi Arabia. 

The defense partnership further developed into an informal strategic engagement from 1979 onwards as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan eroded existing regional security frameworks. During the 1980s, there was an........

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