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A New Power Play? What the Saudi-Pakistan Defence Pact Really Means for the Region

The new Saudi-Pakistan defence pact is more than meets the eye. It signals a major strategic shift in South Asia's power balance. What does it really mean?

Photo of Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif with Saudi crown price Muhammad bin Salman after signing a defence agreement.

On 17 September, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, signed a bilateral defence agreement aimed at strengthening the military cooperation between the two countries.

In a joint statement, the two sides said that the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” (SDMA) “aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.”

In addition, the SDMA also includes a statement that suggests that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”

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Bilal Khan

Bilal Khan

Founder of Quwa, Bilal has been researching Pakistani defence industry and security issues for over 15 years. His work has been cited by Pakistan's National Defence University (NDU), the Council of Foreign Relations, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Centre of Airpower Studies and many others. He has a Hons. B.A in Political Science and Masters of Interntional Public Policy from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

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