PAKISTAN JUST PULLED OFF A GEOPOLITICAL HEIST AND INDIA IS PANICKING
Islamabad has locked in a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The core clause is straight out of NATO’s playbook. An armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against all.
Indian media is calling it a strategic nightmare.
Saudi Arabia brings the money. Turkey brings the technology. Pakistan brings the nuclear umbrella. An integrated defence ecosystem is forming right on India’s doorstep.
New Delhi says it is closely following the development. That is diplomatic code for losing sleep.
Pakistan just got a blank cheque from two of the most powerful Islamic nations on earth.
Indian analysts are asking the question nobody wants to answer. If India and Pakistan go to war, will Saudi Arabia and Turkey stand behind Pakistan. Turkey already backed Islamabad during Operation Sindoor. Saudi Arabia has 43 billion dollars in annual trade with India but a defence pact with Pakistan.
The agreement is meant to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression. But India has consistently maintained that counter-terrorism operations are not acts of aggression. The signatories may not see it that way.
India enjoys strong ties with Saudi Arabia across energy, trade and investment. More than 2.5 million Indians work in the kingdom. Saudi crude is essential to India’s energy imports. Riyadh has a lot to lose if it chooses Pakistan over India
The pact is riddled with contradictions. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have historically been rivals. Their objectives are different. Pakistan is broke and needs Saudi money. Turkey wants insurance against Israel. Saudi Arabia wants to ward off Iran
A motley alliance held together by convenience, not common purpose.
If Saudi Arabia and Turkey would really go to war with India over Pakistan, or if this is just an insurance policy that will never be used.
-AsaliNews