Overview

• Signed on September 17 in Riyadh by Shehbaz Sharif and Mohammed bin Salman, the agreement declares that an attack on one will be treated as an attack on both.
• Officials describe the arrangement as defensive and have not released operational details, while speculation about a nuclear dimension remains unconfirmed and contested.
• Analysts frame the deal as Saudi hedging beyond U.S. guarantees following events such as Israel’s strike on Qatar, with Ian Bremmer saying Washington was aware and did not strongly object.
• Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said the door is not closed to other Arab states potentially joining the arrangement.
• India’s foreign ministry said it expects Saudi Arabia to keep mutual interests and sensitivities in mind, and reporting links the pact to possible Saudi investment in Pakistan’s defence industry, with figures up to $15 billion cited.