It was 5th June, 1967. Isreal launched a surprise preemptive air strike on Egyptian airfields. In the ensuing six days war, the Arab world suffered a humiliating defeat. Saudi Arabia, which had not participated directly in the War, was rattled. It reached out to Pakistan in 1967 for provision of training/advisory assistance. Thus, started the military cooperation between the two countries, which over the decades blossomed, with active Pakistan forces deployed in the Country. 

Finally, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed their bilateral Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) in Riyadh on 17th September, 2025.The core clause declared that any act of aggression against either nation will be considered an aggression against both. For more than seven decades, starting on 14th February, 1945 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdul Aziz aboard the USS Quincy, Saudi Arabia’s security architecture rested substantially on American power.  Saudi Arabia invested billions of dollars in America especially its arms and armaments.

On 28th February, 2026, USA and Israel attacked Iran. Against all odds and despite suffering huge losses, Iran did not surrender. Not only did Iran use its control over Strait of Hormuz as a strategic weapon but she also attacked all the countries hosting American bases including Saudi Arabia. These attacks exposed the limits of Saudi Arabia ‘s reliance on an American-led security system. Consequently, Saudi Arabia faces the serious threat of a two-front war: Iran and closure of Hormuz and then by the Houthis, who partially control the Bab el-Mandeb........

© The Friday Times