The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) sealed on 17 September 2025 ushers in a new era of enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that has its foundations in centuries' old spiritual unanimity. For the past about eight decades, the two brotherly countries have been cooperating in economic, military and geostrategic realms. A large Pakistani diaspora of about 2.5 million is contributing in multiple fields towards the development of the Kingdom.

Besides people to people and government to government contacts, military to military cooperation has spanned these decades too. It saw its zenith in the 1980s when Pakistani military contingents were deployed in various parts of KSA to defend it against any aggression. Pakistan also played an important role in training and raising militaries in KSA and other Middle Eastern countries.

The SMDA is, therefore, not only a continuation, but fruition of years' long mutually beneficial partnership. The agreement is primarily defensive in nature. It is not against any country or alliance. It is a bilateral agreement aimed to augment each other's defence. The major element of the agreement is that an attack on one partner will be considered an attack on........

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