Dawn
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14:24 Sep 18, 2025
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that it was analysing the “implications” of the recent mutual defence deal between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for its own national security. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia entered into a landmark mutual defence agreement, under which any aggression against one state will be considered an attack on both. The ‘Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement’ was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday. A military confrontation between India and Pakistan recently occurred in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week, before a US-brokered ceasefire had both sides agree to stop the hostilities. In a statement issued on today’s developm...