Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

The recent signing of a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in September 2025 marked a watershed event in Middle Eastern and South Asian geopolitics. This diplomatic upgrade not only recalibrates regional security calculations but also reverberates across the global order, confronting India with new strategic challenges.

Body:

Key Terms of the Agreement :

• The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) formalizes collective defence between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, stating that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
• The agreement establishes mechanisms for permanent coordination, including a joint military committee, intelligence-sharing arrangements, and expanded training programmes.
• It formalizes Pakistan’s long-standing military presence in Saudi Arabia and reflects Saudi intent to enhance Pakistan’s strategic role in Persian Gulf security.

Implications on India & Regional Security Dynamics:

• Recalibration of Gulf and West Asian Security Architecture: The SMDA institutionalizes Pakistan’s formal security role in West Asia, a region traditionally dependent on US security guarantees.
  • The pact commits both nations to treat aggression against one as aggression against both, signaling a collective defense model akin to NATO’s Article 5.
• Nuclear Proliferation Concerns and Strategic Stability Risks: The pact reportedly includes provisions for Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella to extend to Saudi Arabia, raising proliferation anxieties in an already tense region.
• Enhanced Strategic Confidence for Pakistan vis-à-vis India: The pact emboldens Pakistan’s geopolitical posture, potentially strengthening its deterrence calculus against India.
  • With Saudi Arabia’s backing, Islamabad may adopt a more assertive stance on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism, raising security risks for New Delhi.
  • Pakistan’s Defense Minister, affirming Saudi support in a hypothetical India-Pakistan war, underlines the altered security parameter.
• Impact on India-Saudi Arabia Relations and Diplomatic Balancing: Despite the pact, Saudi Arabia remains one of India’s largest energy suppliers and economic partners.
  • Riyadh’s reassurances to New Delhi emphasize continuing strategic partnership while managing its evolving alliance with Islamabad.

Policy Measures that India Can Adopt to Uphold Its Strategic Interests

• Deepen Strategic and Defence Cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Gulf States: India must intensify its defence and strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia by expanding joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, and defence technology collaboration.
• Enhance Diplomatic Engagement and Multilateral Outreach: India should leverage multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, G20, and I2U2 to raise awareness about regional security threats, including nuclear proliferation risks posed by the pact.
• Accelerate Military Modernization and Intelligence Capabilities: Given the enhanced strategic confidence Pakistan gains through the pact and Saudi backing, India must expedite the modernization of its armed forces, particularly in countering conventional threats and cross-border terrorism.
• Diversify Energy and Economic Partnerships in the Gulf and Beyond: Saudi Arabia is a vital energy supplier and economic partner for India.
  • While safeguarding these ties, India must diversify energy sources by strengthening relationships with other Gulf countries and investing in renewable energy projects linked to Gulf economies.
  • To balance its interests in West Asia, India can strategically strengthen ties with Iran by revitalising the Chabahar project, which is currently under strain due to the US sanction waiver, while ensuring that its approach does not undermine its relationship with Israel.

Conclusion:

As External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar often remarked, “The India way would be to be more of a decider or a shaper rather than an abstainer… not a disruptionist but a stabilising power that uses its capacities for global good.” The Saudi–Pakistan defence pact reinforces this imperative, urging India to move beyond a reactive posture towards a proactive, strategically autonomous, and diplomatically agile role.