The Saudi Arabia-Türkiye-Pakistan defence pact is a watershed in regional security because it brings together three major Muslim states with complementary strengths and places collective defence at the centre of their relationship. Saudi Arabia brings financial resources and considerable political weight, Türkiye a formidable military and an increasingly sophisticated defence industry, and Pakistan a large professional military, strategic location and nuclear capability. At a time when the Middle East has been convulsed by wars, missile and drone attacks and growing doubts about the durability of existing security guarantees, the significance of this alignment should not be underestimated.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia already have a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, signed last year, under which aggression against either country is considered aggression against both. Their military relationship is much older, stretching across decades of training, deployments and close institutional contacts. Türkiye's inclusion gives this relationship an entirely different dimension. It connects South Asia, the Gulf and a major NATO power, while bringing Turkish military technology and defence production into a relationship previously dominated by Pakistani manpower and Saudi resources.

The pact also reflects changes taking place across the region. For decades, Gulf security rested overwhelmingly on American power. That relationship is not disappearing, nor can any combination of regional states easily reproduce America's military, intelligence and logistical capabilities. But the experience of recent conflicts has persuaded regional governments that relying upon a single external guarantor carries risks. Saudi Arabia has consequently diversified its international relationships, Türkiye has pursued an increasingly autonomous foreign policy despite its NATO membership, and Pakistan........

© The Friday Times