Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan have signed a Nato-like security pact wherein an attack against any one would be considered an attack on all.
Since Riyadh has borne Tehran’s hostility despite distancing itself from the US war against Iran, it is most in need of what the trio describe as joint deterrence. It may hope that a Nato member with a large army and a nuclear power on its side will shield it, but Tehran has said it wouldn’t be deterred.
How it reshapes power equations in the Islamic world will be keenly watched. Its effect extends to South Asia too. It would raise the stakes in any India-Pakistan conflict, even though New Delhi has strengthened ties with Riyadh.
As Ankara has a record of support for Islamabad, with reports of its drone supplies to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Saudi Arabia would be India’s best bet to prevent the one-for-all clause getting falsely invoked over a cross-border skirmish.
New Delhi could engage Riyadh for clarity on how an ‘attack’ on any of the three is defined. So far, India and Pakistan have kept their mutual hostility safely below a certain nuclear threshold. Where the trigger lies under this new tripartite treaty needs to be ascertained.