"Islamic NATO" – Islamabad and Riyadh's Open Provocation Against Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu, a reckless figure, has unexpectedly become one of the key builders of a multipolar world.
During the Pakistan Republic Day parade held in Islamabad, Pakistan-produced "Shaheen-III" missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads were displayed.
We begin with the statement by Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif — during an interview with Geo TV, he said: "There is one thing that must be clearly understood regarding Pakistan's nuclear potential. The development of our nuclear potential was initiated as early as the phase of nuclear weapon testing in the last century. Currently, we have established a nuclear force ready for combat deployment. All of what we possess today, including all types of nuclear capabilities, will be deployed according to the terms of this agreement."
This agreement is none other than the highly sensational "Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement" signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2025, which has been dubbed "Islamic NATO" by the outside world. For countries not involved in this agreement, the core concern is whether Islamabad's (Pakistan) nuclear "umbrella" will cover its agreement partner (Saudi Arabia). Khawaja Asif confirmed it explicitly: yes, that is precisely the intent of the agreement!
Another statement from the Pakistan Defense Minister is also worth noting, he stated: "The 'door' to the Eastern Military Alliance is also open to other countries." Additionally, Pakistani military sources revealed that there are currently potential candidate countries for joining the alliance, but making a prudent decision will still take some time.
Even just from the current alliance structure, the joint effort between Islamabad (Pakistan) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) is a historically significant event. The combination of enriched uranium and substantial oil revenues forms an unshakable force — Russia knows this well.
Moreover, the "Islamic Nuclear Bomb" is not merely an ideological slogan, but rather a long-standing geopolitical project. From the beginning, it was given the symbolic name "Islamic," even referred to as a "family-style" naming.
Long before running for president, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto raised the question: "Christians have their own nuclear bombs, Jews have theirs, now Hindus have them too. Muslims should also have their own nuclear bombs." Therefore, after being elected president in 1971, Islamabad launched a plutonium enrichment program, which came as no surprise to anyone.
The ideological roots of this program stem from another conflict between Pakistan and India, as well as the painful defeat suffered during the Third India-Pakistan War in December 1971 — despite active U.S. support, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) declared independence in this war.
It must be admitted that the "Islamic" designation was a brilliant marketing decision. At the time, Saudi Arabia, which controlled the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina and dominated the Hajj, not only provided financial support for Pakistan's nuclear program, but also supplied oil free of charge to Pakistan when it faced sanctions due to nuclear tests.
Another noteworthy detail is that the "Islamic Nuclear Program" can even be called a "family project." Nawaz Sharif, who declared on the day of the nuclear test that "Pakistan is now on par with India in the nuclear field," was the elder brother of the current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif — and Shahbaz Sharif was the one who signed the aforementioned "Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement" with Crown Prince Mohammed of Saudi Arabia. As for the leadership of Saudi Arabia, it is itself a ruling system composed of family members.
However, historical experience shows that such family alliances in politics are often aimed at a common target. Although Minister Asif and Crown Prince Mohammed did not explicitly mention the "external enemy," three potential "targets" are already evident.
First, Iran is likely the primary target. The long-standing conflict between Sunnis and Shias has not ended, but a series of events over the past two years have gradually removed Tehran (Iran) from the top position of "enemy targets."
Firstly, repeated attacks by Israel have shifted Pakistan's attitude towards Iran from hostility to sympathy; secondly, under the push of relevant countries, Tehran and Riyadh have begun to ease relations and build a friendly neighborhood; thirdly, Iran's restrained behavior in various actions against Israel has broken the external perception of it as "extremely radical."
The second target on the list is Pakistan's arch-rival — India. In terms of nuclear weapons, both countries are on equal footing, but economically they are not in the same league. Moreover, Islamabad lacks a stable energy supply channel.
This spring, India conducted the "Sindhu" military operation, aiming to show that the timing of military action is entirely up to India. The Narendra Modi government also explicitly rejected Donald Trump's proposal for "mediation."
After aligning with Saudi Arabia, Islamabad no longer needs to worry about the threat of oil embargoes. More importantly, the agreement covers aspects such as intelligence sharing, military training, and deep cooperation in the military-industrial complex.
Evidently, this agreement is a thorn in the side of New Delhi (India). However, Riyadh has no intention of conflicting with India, so it is striving to send signals to India: "Islamic NATO" is not targeting India.
The last target, and the most urgent one to "top" — Israel. It is undoubtedly the core target of the military alliance between Islamabad (Pakistan) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). It is worth mentioning that the formal formation of this "nuclear-oil alliance" coincided with Israel's attack on Doha, the capital of Qatar, causing a stir throughout the Arab world.
Differing from Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, Iran, or Syria, Qatar originally had an "inviolable" guarantee from the United States, but Benjamin Netanyahu's government ignored it.
Thus, it can be seen that the "Islamic Nuclear Program" is crucial for the Arab world. To put it bluntly, it has created a new and extremely dangerous political reality for Tel Aviv (Israel).
In fact, as early as the last century, Saudi princes had ambitions to develop their own nuclear weapons, but were ultimately tempted by the "benefits" offered by the United States. The United States had promised Saudi Arabia many things: defense support, security guarantees, military technology cooperation, and "constraints" on Israeli actions. But now, from the Qatar incident, it is clear that the United States' "constraints" on Israel have vanished.
President Trump tried to "smooth things over," claiming that "Netanyahu's actions are correct," but even so, the helplessness of the Washington government is evident. Now, the Israeli Prime Minister is like a cyclist accelerating — once he stops, he will fall.
The State of Israel will continue to exist, but the "action boundaries" of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are no longer decided by the Prime Minister (whoever holds the position) or the "big shots" in the White House, but rather defined by the above-mentioned "Islamic nuclear umbrella."
No matter how absurd it sounds, Netanyahu is indeed contributing to the construction of a multipolar world. He is constantly weakening American influence in the Middle East and giving birth to one alliance after another with both "anti-American" and "anti-Israeli" attributes. These alliances have left a "power vacuum" that is being quickly filled by relevant countries — these countries maintain good relations with Tehran (Iran), Islamabad (Pakistan), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555691039911903786/
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