Pakistan Walks Fine Line Between Regional Allies Amid Economic Strains

Pakistan has signed a joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Mecca, which states that an attack on any of the three countries would be considered an attack on all. However, the agreement does not specify what actions each country would take to defend the others.

The agreement was signed just two days before Iran-backed Houthis struck an oil facility on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast. Despite Pakistan's defense pact with Saudi Arabia, it has not taken military action against Iranian attacks on the kingdom.

Pakistan is also a member of the Saudi-led Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition, which aims to protect critical regional shipping and energy routes from Houthi and regional threats. Pakistan has deployed troops, fighter jets, and an air defense system to the Saudi kingdom and has opened negotiations with Kuwait for security cooperation in exchange for energy investment.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on August 11, where they discussed deepening ties between the two countries. However, Pakistan's actions have been cast into doubt by Tehran due to its close defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the US-led coalitions in Afghanistan and Iraq.