• “Historical” mutual defense agreement declares that aggression against one person will be considered as an attack on two partners
•The new agreement follows the collective security of the Middle East; the formalist commitments that exist in practice
•The “Pakistan TV Number” was opened in the afternoon to convey the national perspective to international audiences
Islamabad: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have entered landmarks A common defense agreementin which any aggression against a country will be considered an attack on both.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman signed a “Strategic Mutual Defense” on Wednesday at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
At the end of Prime Minister Shebaz’s one-day state visit, the agreement “reflects the two countries’ common commitment to strengthening their security and achieving security and the world”, according to the text of a joint statement issued simultaneously by Islamabad and Riyadh.
“(IT) aims to develop all aspects of defense cooperation below the two countries and strongly oppose any aggression,” the SARS statement without elaboration.
Importantly, the text emphasizes that “any aggression against any country should be regarded as an aggression against both”.
The timing of the agreement follows Arab Summit This marks a shift to collective security- Israel’s attack About Qatar – It implies that it originates from current world affairs and reflects the defense concerns of both countries.
Saudi official media also held reports on the signing ceremony, but they did not provide more details about the agreement or its provisions.
A high-level delegation, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq DAR, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tar, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Special Assistant to PM PM PM Tariq Fatemi and Army Commissioner Fiel Munir, Fiel Munir, PM Hhehbaz.
After Saudi F-15 fighter jets entered Kingdom airspace, they escorted the PM’s plane, and a special ceremony was held at the Royal Palace before the Pakistan delegation’s meeting with the Crown Prince.
Upgrade defense relations
The agreement marks the most important escalation in Pakistan-Sudi defense ties over decades. The cooperation between the two countries dates back to 1967 and Epilepsy seizure at the Grand Mosque in 1979When Pakistani special forces helped Saudi forces recover the mosque Al-Haram.
In 1982, the two sides adopted a bilateral security cooperation agreement to enable security relations to enable Pakistan to train, consult and support and deployment on Saudi soil. Sometimes as many as 20,000 Pakistani troops are stationed in the Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia becomes the main buyer of Pakistan-made weapons.
In recent years, such partnerships have caused a urgency due to regional instability. In February, a meeting of the Joint Military Cooperation Commission of Riyadh promised to expand training and exchanges.
The new contract formalizes the promises that have long existed in practice, thus creating what some analysts see as de facto joint defense umbrellas, although more details of the agreement are not disclosed.
For Pakistan, the agreement provides strategic and economic benefits. It received significant Saudi investment and funding in a time of financial pressure, while strengthening Islamabad’s position as a provider of pan-Islamic security.
For Saudi Arabia, it strengthened its defense against Iran, the threat from Houthi militias and regional unrest caused by Israel’s genocide operations in Gaza and the aggression of other nearby countries. The Israeli attacks against the Doha Hamas delegation exacerbated the urgency of the agreement that had been discussed for some time.
Pakistan’s earlier defense alignments, such as the Cold War-era agreements with the United States and Sito and the Center, have long eroded.
Today, Islamabad’s partnership with China, Türkiye and other Gulf countries remains important, but lacks binding common defense clauses.
Against this backdrop, Wednesday’s signing representatives signed the most tense formal defensive commitment to link their security roles uninterrupted with the ever-evolving Gulf strategic building.
To celebrate the solemnity of the defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, the Capital Development Agency decorated the famous buildings in Islamabad with green lighting.
Buildings such as the Supreme Court, the Islamabad High Court, the Parliament Building, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s House and other buildings such as diplomatic enclaves along the Constitution Avenue and famous hotels and commercial centers.
Digital channels are launched
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz also launched the “Pakistan Television Digital,” a British news channel that aims to deliver Pakistan’s voice to the world and provides the country’s views on national and international development, in addition to national and propaganda.
During the visit to the office Pakistan TV digitallocated in a state-owned location Pakistani TV ((PTV), the Prime Minister announced a plaque to release a news channel, which aims to enable Pakistan to communicate with the world and to show its views.
He said the main goal of launching this digital news channel is to provide real coverage while effectively opposing misinformation and publicity about Pakistan.
Sheikh Baz also recorded his first interview in the afternoon for broadcast Pakistan TV digitalIt is reportedly PTV.
Posted in Dawn on September 18, 2025
