Saudi-Pak pact: India must stay alert, not get anxious

AT first glance, the signing of a mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan appears dramatic: both sides have pledged to treat an attack on one as an attack on the other. Yet, it is less a strategic shift and more an institutionalisation of their decades-old military ties. Pakistan has long been a security partner for Riyadh, even extending a “nuclear umbrella” after it went nuclear. This pact is largely about regime security for the Saudi monarchy, set against tensions with Iran, Turkey and Syria, rather than a direct provocation to India. India, for its part, has responded with measured caution. The Ministry of External Affairs has assured that national interests will be protected. This pragmatism reflects two realities. First, India’s ties with Saudi Arabia have expanded well beyond oil, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally investing in a comprehensive strategic partnership. Second, Riyadh itself has signalled that it will remain sensitive to India’s concerns.

The pact is best understood in the broader context of Saudi Arabia’s balancing act. While relying on Pakistan for military muscle, the Kingdom has sought economic diversification and stable partnerships with rising powers like India. For Pakistan, the agreement offers diplomatic validation and financial assurance at a time of deep economic crisis.

New Delhi would do well not to overreact. Instead, India should deepen its own strategic footprint in West Asia, leveraging its economic clout and people-to-people ties. The Gulf remains too important for India’s energy security, diaspora interests and trade routes to be left vulnerable to shifting alliances. For now, the Saudi-Pak pact is less a geopolitical earthquake than a reminder that in West Asia, alignments are fluid and interests transactional. India must remain alert, but not alarmed.