Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shabaz Sharif, met with Army Chief Asim Munir and Crown Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. Photo source: X
The "Print" newspaper published an article on September 20 titled "The Strategic Agreement Between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Actually Involves Iran," stating that the defense cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has a long history, and this agreement is not sudden - the real goal of Saudi Arabia in signing the agreement this time is to counterbalance Iran, and there may be U.S. involvement in the process of reaching the agreement. The author of this article, Ayesha Siddiqa, is a senior researcher in the Department of War Studies at King's College London.
On September 17, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a "Strategic Joint Defense Agreement" aimed at further deepening defense cooperation. The background of this agreement is worth noting: first, it was only ten days after Israel's attack on Qatar; second, Pakistan's position had significantly improved after the India-Pakistan air battle. Therefore, Pakistan believes that the agreement indicates that Saudi Arabia is worried about Israeli aggression and no longer trusts the United States, turning to Pakistan for protection. On the other hand, the agreement may promote broader security cooperation, and Pakistan may become a guarantor of peace in the Middle East.
There are three key points to note about the strategic agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia: first, the agreement did not come suddenly. Pakistan has provided military security guarantees to Saudi Arabia since the 1980s. In the 1960s, Pakistan sent military training teams to Saudi Arabia; in the 1979 Mecca siege incident, Pakistani troops helped liberate the Holy Mosque of Kaaba. Although the relationship between the two sides had some setbacks due to Pakistan's lack of cooperation in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2015 Yemen War, the two countries' security cooperation has continued to deepen after Pakistan appointed retired general Raheel Sharif as the commander of the Saudi anti-terrorism forces.
Second, the concern of Saudi Arabia about Israeli attacks is only a surface reason, and its real goal is to counterbalance Iran. Currently, the joint U.S.-Israel strike has not completely destroyed Iran's nuclear capability, leading to the "transparency" of its nuclear capability, forcing Saudi Arabia to obtain equivalent deterrent capabilities to maintain regional balance. It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia does not have substantial conflicts with Israel. Although Saudi Arabia mentions Palestine in religious rituals, it has never taken actual actions to provoke Israel or contacted organizations such as Hamas. Additionally, whether Pakistan will deploy strategic forces for nuclear weapons or airborne cruise missiles in Saudi Arabia has also attracted attention from the outside world.
Third, the agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia may have been discussed with the United States. After Israel attacked Qatar, the U.S. and Western countries realized the "instability" of Netanyahu, so they are willing to provide a "security umbrella" for Saudi Arabia to prevent the conflict from getting out of control. However, if Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel get into a conflict, most Western countries are likely to side with Israel rather than Pakistan.
In addition, the agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has built a positive narrative. For Saudi Arabia, the agreement shows that the royal family is prepared to deal with the Israeli threat. For Pakistan, the agreement shows that it plays a greater role in protecting the Muslim world and its holy sites.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552565431073030656/
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