The recently signed Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia strengthens the two countries’ longtime security commitment.
Ratified in September 2025, the pact provides for increased mutual military training, intelligence sharing and technological aid. In case of aggression by other countries, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to support each other militarily.
The agreement follows a July 2025 engagement in Karachi in which the naval chiefs of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia discussed regional maritime security and enhanced bilateral defense cooperation.
Adm. Naveed Ashraf, Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff, lauded Saudi Arabia’s contributions to the partnership and called for increased defense collaboration between the two navies that share a “long-standing and brotherly relationship.”
Royal Saudi Naval Forces Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Ghuraybi commended Pakistan for providing training for Saudi naval cadets at the Pakistan Naval Academy and aboard Pakistan Navy ships.
Earlier in July, a Pakistani delegation headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Bahrain Interior Minister Gen. Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa in Manama, Bahrain, for discussions that focused on fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and human smuggling in the region.
The delegations committed to improving the effectiveness of the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Security Committee and deepening bilateral ties.
Pakistan is a prime contributor to the Combined Maritime Forces, U.S.-led multinational naval task forces based in Bahrain that patrol from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea.
Outside the region, Pakistan and the European Union agreed to deepen cooperation on security and counterterrorism at the 10th Pakistan-EU Political Dialogue in Brussels in July 2025.
The Pakistani Foreign Office noted that meeting attendees “acknowledged the importance of multifaceted cooperation on security matters, including counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics.”
Sources: Dawn, Daily Times, Arab News