There is a strong buzz about the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement" announced by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 17. This pact follows Israel’s attack on Hamas in Qatar on September 9. The Saudi-Pakistan agreement has declared that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both," and promised to “strengthen joint deterrence." Many analysts, especially in Pakistan, are tempted to regard this as a recognition of Saudi’s reliance on Pakistan’s military muscle. They also consider this to be a precursor of Islamabad extending its nuclear umbrella to the Gulf kingdom one day.

But for all the headlines, this agreement doesn’t bring anything new to the Saudi-Pak relationship. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed similar agreements for decades (1951, 1967, 1982, 1995, 2015), and they have always tilted one way: toward Saudi security. Pakistan’s armed forces have long served as Riyadh’s insurance policy. The reverse has never happened. In every moment of Pakistan’s vulnerability, be it its wars with India or its economic crises, Saudi Arabia may have written checks, but it has never deployed soldiers on Pakistan’s behalf, let alone risk its global standing for Islamabad given the fact that the latter is notorious for sponsoring terrorism.

This arrangement between Riyadh and Islamabad dates back to the 1970s, when petro-dollars empowered Saudi Arabia to bankroll allies and Pakistan’s military was eager to export its services. The deal was as simple as this. The Arab world would foot the bill and Pakistan would provide manpower.

For instance, when Jordan’s monarchy faced a rebellion in 1970, it was Pakistani military officers which played a decisiverole in suppressing Palestinian fighters during “Black September." Brigadier Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who later became Pakistan’s dictator, personally directed........

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