India on Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye pact: ‘Examining implications’ for national security

India is closely monitoring the new defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

The MEA said that it is examining the pact’s possible impact on the country’s national security as well as regional peace and stability.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was following developments in the West Asia conflict closely and was assessing the implications of the new agreement.

He added that India remained committed to protecting its national interests and would take all necessary measures in that regard.

The remarks come days after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca.

The pact establishes a collective security framework under which an armed attack on one of the three countries would be treated as an attack on all three.

What is the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye pact?

The agreement is based on the principle of collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. It seeks to strengthen military coordination and create a common deterrence framework among the three countries.

The pact also envisages greater defence cooperation, including joint research, technology transfers, defence procurement and production of military equipment.

Potential areas of cooperation include drones, naval systems, air defence and electronic warfare. The agreement therefore goes beyond a political declaration and could eventually lead to deeper military and industrial links between the three countries.

The deal was signed as West Asia faces heightened tensions, with the regional security environment undergoing major changes.

Why the pact matters for Pakistan

The agreement could provide Pakistan with greater diplomatic and strategic backing by formally linking its military capabilities with those of Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

Pakistan brings a large military and nuclear capability to the partnership, while Turkiye has a growing defence industry and Saudi Arabia has considerable financial and political influence in the Gulf.

For Islamabad, the arrangement could provide additional diplomatic space during future security crises and strengthen its position in the broader Muslim world.

The pact also builds on the existing defence relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, giving that partnership a broader trilateral framework.

Is this an ‘Islamic Nato’?

Despite comparisons with Nato, analysts caution against viewing the agreement as the immediate creation of an Islamic military alliance.

The pact appears, at least for now, to be driven largely by the changing security environment in West Asia rather than by a strategy focused on India or South Asia.

The agreement has been under discussion for months and comes as Saudi Arabia and its partners reassess regional security amid the growing influence of Iran and uncertainty over the future role of the United States as the region’s main security provider.

This makes Iran a more immediate strategic factor behind the new arrangement than India.

Why India is watching closely

Even if the pact is primarily focused on West Asia, its inclusion of Pakistan gives it significance for India. A formal security arrangement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye could create new diplomatic and strategic variables in any future crisis involving Islamabad.

For now, however, New Delhi appears to be taking a cautious approach rather than drawing conclusions about the pact’s long-term direction.