Amidst the world where the balance of power is increasingly shifting to multipolarity, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia remains one of the beacons of cooperation in the Global South. The SMDA is much more than a military disposition; it represents a collective vision of strategic independence, self-sufficiency and cohesiveness among developing countries who would like to demonstrate their collective agency in an international system that is rapidly changing. The SMDA institutionalised an extensive military alliance between Riyadh and Islamabad, an expression of shared desire to contribute to the creation of a more balanced and inclusive world order free of the dominance of Western-based alliances. The most significant provision of the agreement states that an act of aggression against one of the parties will be considered as an act of aggression against both, which created a principle of collective defence and shared security. This milestone is a continuation of the historical, deep-rooted, and religious-cultural affinity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia since 1947, yet brings it to a new level of strategic partnership based on the ideals of South-South collaboration.

The SMDA Agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was declared on September 17, 2025, which introduced a new pattern in the security relationship between the two nations and marked the transition to a multipolar world order. The treaty provides that any aggression by one party against the other will amount to aggression being directed against both sides and this constitutes some sort of mutual defence alliance between the two giants in the Islamic world. Traditionally, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been close partners since 1947 mostly because of the similarity in religion and strategic interests. This occurred against a backdrop of increased tensions in the region especially after the Israeli airstrike on Doha on September 9, 2025. The action by Riyadh to strengthen military relations with Islamabad was interpreted as a displeasure with the security assurances offered by the United States, which was increasingly becoming unreliable after the collapse of the formal defence relationship between Washington and Riyadh. Therefore, SMDA is a Saudi foreign policy tool to enhance its bargaining power with the US and at the same time, it is trying to find other alternative security through its Muslim partners who have considerable military potential.

The SMDA should be interpreted as a part of the larger pattern of the global transformation into multipolarity. In the last twenty years, third world powers in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been increasingly trying to diversify their foreign policies and also escape the dependency on the traditional Western powers. The emergence of organisations like BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a manifestation of this current change with states of the Global South discussing new frames of cooperation that prioritize equality, mutual good, and respect of sovereignty. The SMDA is a miniature reflection of this broader realignment, an actual expression of the way developing countries are starting to actualise strategic autonomy. As a result of bilateral collaboration, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia show that the Global South can build its own security framework, based on its own priorities and cultural backgrounds.

In the case of Riyadh, the defence treaty with Islamabad is not merely a security instrument, but also a component of a long-term policy of enhancing national autonomy, as expressed in the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia. The plan lays more emphasis on self-reliance within the defence sector, with the focus being on the building of military forces and creation of a domestic arms market. This is indicative of an increasing recognition in Saudi Arabia that economic power alone cannot guarantee long-term influence in the region; it needs to be supported by a viable military capability. The increased collaboration with Pakistan in the military and defence sector is considered to be a strategic move towards achieving this objective. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have developed institutional platforms where the two countries can have a myriad of collaborative efforts in the quest of becoming self-sufficient in terms of defence production through the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Defence Industrial Forum. The seventh session of this forum, which took place in Riyadh last October, testifies to the stability of their strategic relationship. In this way, Saudi Arabia aims at demonstrating its supremacy and the establishment of the balance of power with other regional leaders by enhancing the real defence forces of their country, which is within the frames of its aspiration to become a great power in the Middle East.

In the case of Pakistan, the SMDA supports its established foreign policy choice of strategic balancing and South-South interaction. Pakistan as a nuclear equipped nation with a well developed defence system has been historically interested in ensuring autonomy by diversifying its alliances beyond the conventional partnerships. The SMDA offers more than just improved defence coordination to Islamabad; it also offers novel technological advancement and modernisation of the industry. The financial power of Saudi Arabia supplements the human and military capital of Pakistan and forms a synergy that favors both parties. Notably, the partnership reaffirms the Pakistani conviction in a multipolar international system where developing nations engage as equals instead of as dependents in hierarchical systems. By doing so, the SMDA is seen as a departure in postcolonial dependency and a step toward a model of equal cooperation founded on mutual interests and respect.

This reciprocalism reiterates the ideals of South-South cooperation as espoused by the United Nations, i.e. solidarity between peoples and nations of the developing world that is steered by equality, sovereignty, and non-conditionality. In the past, developmental assistance between the Global North and South has tended to be asymmetric and conditional. The SMDA, on the contrary, presents a type of partnership, which respects local priorities, cultural affinity and mutual capacity-building. It thus presents a living example of how developing countries may refute the classic donor-receiving relationship and establish cooperation in their way.

In addition to its strategic and economic aspects, the SMDA holds some symbolic and ideological significance of the collective identity of the Global South. It shows how Muslim majority countries can establish relationships on the basis of mutual developmental concerns instead of relying on western security institutions like NATO or bilateral defence agreements with major powers. By doing so, the agreement is a part of a larger story of postcolonial self-determination in which nations previously viewed as peripheral claim their right to influence global standards of security. The emphasis of SMDA on shared military research, education, and economic diversification is a manifestation of a holistic approach towards security, which combines defence collaboration with sustainable development.

Ultimately, the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement transcends the narrow confines of a conventional defence pact. It represents the rise of a self-assured, integrated Global South that tries to carve its own path in the twenty-first century. The agreement shows that developing countries can establish constructive relationships based on trust, technological co-operation and political orientation as opposed to dependency and coercion. The alliance between these two countries has brought about collaboration, which enhances national and common interests, through the integration of the military expertise and industrial capabilities of Pakistan and the Saudi economic potential and the vision of modernisation. To be more precise, the SMDA is an indication of a historic turning point of the Global South: a declaration that cooperation among equals can serve as the foundation of a more stable, equitable, and representative global order. In this regard, it is not only the development of a bilateral alliance, but a claim on a common future where the Global South is united, self-sufficient, and has much to say in determining the future of global governance.