Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has once again reaffirmed Islamabad’s “unwavering” support for Saudi Arabia, continuing a pattern of close coordination between the two countries that has intensified sharply since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran. The latest exchange builds on a historic mutual defense pact signed less than a year ago, cementing what officials on both sides describe as an unbreakable brotherly bond.
Background
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia relations trace back to the earliest years of Pakistan’s founding, but the partnership has deepened considerably over the past year amid regional turmoil. Saudi Arabia has faced repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran and Houthi forces since February 2026, targeting energy infrastructure and military installations across the kingdom.
Each time Saudi Arabia has come under attack, Pakistan’s leadership has issued swift statements of solidarity. Sharif has repeatedly told Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, that Pakistan would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the kingdom, a phrase that has become something of a diplomatic signature in recent months.
Details
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Latest News on Regional Coordination
In his most recent call with Saudi officials, Sharif praised the kingdom’s “remarkable restraint” amid the ongoing Middle East crisis and briefed Saudi leadership on Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions. The two sides agreed to continue coordinating their positions closely to secure peace and stability in the wider region.
Sharif has also directly condemned specific attacks on Saudi soil, including missile strikes intercepted near the kingdom’s southern border and an assault on the Al Jubail oil facility. In each case, Pakistan’s prime minister invoked the countries’ historic bond, noting that Saudi Arabia had supported Pakistan “through thick and thin” over the decades.
Pakistan Saudi Arabia Military Cooperation and the Defense Pact
The current wave of diplomatic solidarity builds directly on a landmark development from September 2025, when Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in Riyadh. Under the pact, signed by Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both countries committed to treating any act of aggression against one as an act of aggression against both.
The agreement formalized nearly eight decades of security cooperation between the two nations and came shortly after Israel’s airstrike on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, an event that rattled Gulf states and raised doubts about how reliably the United States would defend its regional partners. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif later stated that Saudi Arabia would benefit from Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella under the agreement, though Pakistani officials have since maintained the pact does not formally extend nuclear protection.
Since the pact was signed, Pakistan has reportedly sent troops and air defense support to Saudi Arabia, translating the agreement into tangible military cooperation rather than symbolic commitment alone. India’s foreign ministry responded to the original announcement by saying it would study the pact’s implications for its own national security.
Does Saudi Arabia Support Pakistan or India?
Saudi Arabia has historically maintained a policy of engaging both Pakistan and India, given its significant trade and labor ties with both South Asian nations. However, the September 2025 defense pact represents a formal military commitment that Saudi Arabia does not currently hold with India, giving Islamabad a distinct strategic edge in its relationship with Riyadh compared to New Delhi’s largely economic and diplomatic ties with the kingdom.
Economic Support: A Pillar of Pak-Saudi Relations History
Beyond security cooperation, Saudi Arabia has continued extending significant financial support to Pakistan. In April 2026, the kingdom rolled over an existing $5 billion deposit at the State Bank of Pakistan and added a further $3 billion deposit, aimed at bolstering Pakistan’s economic stability. Sharif has repeatedly credited this financial backing as playing a “vital role” in Pakistan’s economic resilience over the years.
Quotes
Sharif told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince during a recent call that he, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and the entire Pakistani nation stood firmly and resolutely with Saudi leadership, describing the moment as a “critical time” for the kingdom’s security.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, responding to Pakistan’s continued statements of support, appreciated what he called Pakistan’s “steadfast support” and praised the close fraternal relationship shared between the two nations.A senior Saudi security official, commenting on the broader defense agreement, said the pact was intended to reinforce deterrence, noting that aggression against one country would now be treated as aggression against the other.
Impact
The deepening Pakistan-Saudi relationship carries significant weight for regional security dynamics across South Asia and the Middle East. Analysts say the defense pact shows Gulf states are increasingly unwilling to rely exclusively on US security guarantees, a shift that sped up after Washington’s limited response to Israel’s strike inside Qatar.
For Pakistan, the relationship offers both economic lifelines, through Saudi deposits and investment tied to Vision 2030 projects, and enhanced international standing as the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority state formally allied with the Gulf’s leading power. For Saudi Arabia, the partnership provides access to Pakistan’s substantial military manpower and defense expertise at a moment of heightened regional threat from Iran and its proxies.
The pact has also drawn scrutiny from nuclear non-proliferation experts, who warn that ambiguity around whether Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella extends to Saudi Arabia could normalize outsourced nuclear protection arrangements and increase the risk of escalation in an already volatile region.
Conclusion
With tensions in the Middle East showing no sign of fully resolving, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s coordination is likely to keep intensifying in the months ahead. Whether the mutual defense pact eventually grows into a larger, more formalized security architecture, or stays mostly a symbolic and economic partnership, will come down to how the broader regional conflict involving Iran plays out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Pakistan’s biggest friend?
Saudi Arabia is widely regarded as one of Pakistan’s closest and most consistent international partners, given decades of financial support, labor ties involving millions of Pakistani workers in the kingdom, and now a formal mutual defense agreement signed in September 2025. China is often cited alongside Saudi Arabia as Pakistan’s other major strategic ally, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and extensive military cooperation, meaning Pakistan’s foreign policy today rests heavily on maintaining strong ties with both nations rather than relying on a single “biggest friend.”
Does Saudi Arabia have a military alliance with Pakistan?
Yes, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan formalized a military alliance through the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed on September 17, 2025, in Riyadh. The pact commits both countries to treat any act of aggression against one as an act of aggression against both, formalizing decades of informal security cooperation into a binding collective defense commitment. While the agreement’s exact scope regarding nuclear weapons remains debated, both governments have described it as covering all available military means.
Who are Saudi Arabia’s biggest allies?
Saudi Arabia maintains close alliances with several countries, most notably the United States, with which it has held a decades-long security and economic partnership centered on oil and regional stability, though that relationship has faced strain following recent regional crises. Pakistan has emerged as a particularly significant military ally following the 2025 defense pact, while Saudi Arabia also maintains strong ties with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members, and has more recently pursued expanded cooperation with countries including Turkey as part of a broader diversification of its regional security partnerships.
