Aishwaria Sonavane
For years, Riyadh has financially backed clerical groups and madrassas promoting the Salafi and Wahhabi schools of thought in Pakistan. If the new deal expands such patronage, it may solidify the framework on which the military-jihad complex relies.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) at the Royal Court in Al-Yamamah Palace, Riyadh, on September 17. Under this pact, any aggression against either country will be treated as aggression against both, thereby spectacularly formalising and consolidating a military partnership that has spanned decades.
The details remain opaque; however, the agreement essentially consolidates what has long been an informal practice between the two nations. Pakistan has historically maintained close ties with Saudi Arabia, mainly rooted in the Islamist orientation enshrined in Article 40 of the Pakistani Constitution and sustained by decades of financial support by the Kingdom.
The Really Awkward Timing
The timing of the deal gains high notability given its arrival just days after an Israeli strike on Doha, Qatar, a Gulf neighbour of Saudi Arabia. It further follows the brief military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May, following the terror attack in Kashmir. On the face of it, the deal signals the emergence of a new security architecture linking the Indian subcontinent with West Asia. From Riyadh's perspective, the pact reflects diminishing confidence in the US as the security guarantor of the Gulf region. In that light, aligning with nuclear-armed Pakistan offers the Kingdom an added layer of deterrence and an ally with military capabilities. This is particularly considering the limited military capability in Saudi Arabia despite its strong financial resources.
With Pakistan emerging as an active security player in West Asia, New Delhi will now have to recalibrate its strategic calculations. India's key concern is how Pakistan might leverage Saudi resources - financial aid, oil facilities, and diplomatic support - to advance its hostile designs. This piece focuses specifically on how the deal strengthens Pakistan's military-jihadi complex (MJC).
What The Military-Jihad Complex Really Is
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