Amid heightened tensions in the Middle East due to Israeli airstrikes on Qatar, a defense agreement that could completely change the regional power balance has emerged, as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defense treaty, shocking the Middle East and South Asia. While the outside world generally speculated that this treaty mainly targeted Israel, India also felt highly tense upon seeing the behind-the-scenes developments, and now New Delhi is urgently studying the Saudi-Pakistani defense provisions!

This is a treaty that may change the regional situation

According to a report by CCTV News, on September 17, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defense treaty, whose main content is highly consistent with the core of the "North Atlantic Treaty", which considers an attack or aggression against one country as a common attack against both parties. This treaty is widely interpreted as Saudi Arabia's attempt to be included under Pakistan's "nuclear umbrella", thus targeting Israel.

Although one Pakistani official told Reuters that this agreement was not aimed at a specific country or event, but rather the result of years of discussion, aiming to institutionalize the long-term deep security cooperation between the two countries, its timing is extremely sensitive. Just last week, Israel had launched an air strike on Qatar, and analysts believe that Saudi Arabia's move aims to send a strong deterrent signal to Israel.

The defense relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has been long-standing, but elevating it to the level of "mutual defense" and connecting it with nuclear weapons has explosive implications. A U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks once revealed that Islamabad's diplomats had already proposed the idea of having Saudi Arabia under their nuclear protection. Now this agreement is seen as the first concrete realization of this rumor. Although both sides' officials did not explicitly state whether this agreement covers the nuclear arsenal, it has already drawn high attention from neighboring countries, among which India is particularly concerned.

On September 18, the Indian government stated that they would study the joint defense provisions of the two countries, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. On this day, September 18, the event basically became the top headline in India's domestic media, receiving widespread attention from the media and public opinion.

India is urgently studying this treaty

"Today's India" raised a question: What role will Saudi Arabia play if India and Pakistan have another conflict in the future? According to this defense treaty, if Pakistan is attacked by India, Saudi Arabia will have the responsibility to support Islamabad. However, the specifics of how to support are vague in this treaty.

"The Times of India" analyzed the impact of this treaty on New Delhi and gave two considerations: First, for a long time, there have been rumors about a "Muslim NATO" or an "Arab NATO" within Muslim countries or the Arab world. Now, these rumors have become reality, and this is likely to directly produce a "domino effect". In the future, countries such as Qatar and Bahrain may join this treaty, creating a real "Middle East NATO", which means that when India and Pakistan go to war again, these countries will no longer be neutral, but will directly stand behind Pakistan.

Second, for a long time, in the India-Pakistan situation, Pakistan's biggest disadvantage has been economic influence, with insufficient funds available for military construction, at least compared to India. In terms of global defense spending, India ranks fourth, while Pakistan ranks 29th. However, Pakistan now has a new opportunity to expand its military budget. This treaty essentially represents Pakistan's protection by Saudi Arabia, and to increase the strength of its own protective umbrella, Saudi Arabia will certainly use its strong financial advantage to arm Pakistan. If Saudi Arabia's financial support continues to flow into Pakistan's defense modernization, India may find itself facing a better-equipped opponent, and in future India-Pakistan crises, Pakistan will take a stronger stance towards India.

The impact of the Saudi-Pakistani "Mutual Defense Treaty" may be beyond imagination

"The Times of India" also couldn't help but criticize Israel in its analysis: The attack on Qatar has had the opposite effect, not only making the fragmented Muslim world more united than ever before, but also activating a defense agreement with a wide range of influence and nuclear protection connotations.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7551623793338139177/

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