When Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, clasped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh last week, the symbolism was unmistakable. The embrace followed the signing of a 'strategic mutual defence agreement', bringing the Islamic world's only nuclear-armed state closer to the Gulf's most ambitious monarchy. A senior Saudi official told Reuters that the pact was merely an institutionalisation of long-standing and deep cooperation. But many in India see it differently.
Despite Delhi's cultivated warmth with Riyadh, the pact lands amid heightened hostility with Pakistan, including a four-day conflict earlier this year. Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars and clashes over Kashmir, making any move by Saudi to underwrite Pakistan's military a direct concern for India.
What unsettles Indian analysts the most is the pact's commitment that 'any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both'. 'Riyadh knew India would construe the Saudi-Pakistan pact as a direct threat to its security, yet it went ahead,' commented Brahma Chellaney, an Indian strategist.
Risk assessments vary, with some experts cautioning that India may be overstating the potential threats posed by the pact. Still, with Pakistan's growing military capabilities supported by Saudi finances, India finds itself needing to recalibrate its regional strategies. The implications of this defence agreement could resound beyond immediate military threats, potentially altering the balance of alliances in the region.
Despite Delhi's cultivated warmth with Riyadh, the pact lands amid heightened hostility with Pakistan, including a four-day conflict earlier this year. Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars and clashes over Kashmir, making any move by Saudi to underwrite Pakistan's military a direct concern for India.
What unsettles Indian analysts the most is the pact's commitment that 'any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both'. 'Riyadh knew India would construe the Saudi-Pakistan pact as a direct threat to its security, yet it went ahead,' commented Brahma Chellaney, an Indian strategist.
Risk assessments vary, with some experts cautioning that India may be overstating the potential threats posed by the pact. Still, with Pakistan's growing military capabilities supported by Saudi finances, India finds itself needing to recalibrate its regional strategies. The implications of this defence agreement could resound beyond immediate military threats, potentially altering the balance of alliances in the region.
