For decades, I watched Pakistan’s military relationship with the Middle East unfold largely away from the headlines. Pakistani officers trained Gulf forces, pilots joined joint exercises, advisers worked alongside Arab governments, and troops were periodically stationed in Saudi Arabia. Islamabad was an important security partner—but rarely the centrepiece of the region’s defence architecture.

That may now be changing.

The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2025, marked a real departure from that older, informal cooperation. It established that aggression against either country would be treated as aggression against both—bringing the language of collective defence into Pakistan’s relationship with the Arab world for the first time.

Since then, I’ve noticed interest in Pakistan as a defence partner spreading. Kuwait has explored an expanded arrangement involving troops, aircraft, drones and air-defence capabilities. Bahrain has reportedly shown similar interest, Jordan has discussed weapons and training, and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have prepared a draft trilateral defence agreement, though consensus still isn’t there.

All of this raises an obvious question: is a “Muslim NATO” beginning to emerge? My answer is no, not yet—but something strategically significant is clearly taking shape.

From military cooperation to mutual defence

The Saudi agreement matters because it turned a historic partnership into a formal strategic commitment.

Before 2025, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Pakistani military personnel were already stationed in Saudi Arabia in operational, technical and training roles. The agreement was then put into practice: Pakistani forces arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in April 2026, and later reporting confirmed Pakistani troops and combat aircraft deployed in the kingdom.

Before 2025, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Pakistani military personnel were already stationed in Saudi Arabia in operational, technical and training roles. The agreement was then put into practice: Pakistani forces arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in April 2026, and later reporting confirmed Pakistani troops and combat aircraft deployed in the kingdom.

Other Gulf states took notice. Kuwait already had a 2023 defence-cooperation agreement with Pakistan, but discussions reported in July 2026 went considerably further—Kuwait reportedly seeking thousands of Pakistani troops, fighter aircraft, drones and air-defence systems, though Pakistani officials cautioned combat deployments weren’t under consideration.

I think the distinction here really matters: training agreements are common; a commitment to deploy forces and air-defence systems during a regional confrontation is something closer to an alliance.

READ: Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agree to increase trilateral........

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