Decoding defence deals
SINCE September 2025, Pakistan has signed multilayered and multi-domain defence agreements with several Arab and Muslim states. It has signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) with Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, and a defence pact with Kuwait. Pakistan has recently signed another defence agreement — the Badr agreement. Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar, and Indonesia are signatories to this pact. These defence deals have, in the past year, increased Pakistan’s strategic relevance in the Middle East. Interestingly, each accord car