Saudi Arabia’s decision to formalise a mutual defence pact with Pakistan is more than a ceremonial embrace; it is a calculated signal of shifting power equations in the wider Asian neighbourhood. For India, the agreement is not a battlefield threat but a strategic tremor that demands careful attention. At its core, the pact commits each side to treat aggression against one as an attack on both. For Pakistan, this provides more than symbolic comfort.

Economically fragile and politically unstable, Islamabad gains a powerful external backer willing to underwrite its military relevance. For Riyadh, the deal offers access to Pakistan’s experienced army, its ready manpower, and ~ more subtly ~ its nuclear status as a form of insurance against regional adversaries. The arrangement extends a relationship that has included Pakistani troop deployments, training missions and covert support for decades, but it now gives that history a sharper edge. For New Delhi, the timing is........

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