Pakistan's Measured Iran Stance: Is Its Saudi Defence Pact Merely Symbolic? | Exclusive Analysis
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Pakistan's Cautious Iran War Response Tests Saudi Defence Pact: Alliance Only On Paper?
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News18•16-03-2026, 15:13
Pakistan's Cautious Iran War Response Tests Saudi Defence Pact: Alliance Only On Paper?
•Pakistan's restrained response to the Iran-Saudi conflict exposes limits of the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) signed in September 2025.
•Despite the pact treating an attack on one as an attack on both, Pakistan has avoided deploying troops or direct combat assistance, offering only diplomatic solidarity.
•Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government reiterates 'unquestioned solidarity' with Riyadh, while Army Chief Asim Munir held coordination meetings with Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman.
•Islamabad opened a separate military front along its western border with Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting militant groups, justifying limited engagement in the Middle East crisis.
•Analysts view Pakistan's stance as calibrated restraint, avoiding retaliation from nuclear-armed Iran and domestic sectarian tensions, frustrating Saudi Arabia's expectations for stronger backing.
