ISLAMABAD: Indian media coverage of the newly signed Pakistan-Saudi-Türkiye defense agreement has drawn attention to the potential military and strategic benefits for Islamabad, even as New Delhi's official response has remained measured.
The trilateral ‘Makkah Joint Defence Agreement’ signed on Friday in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that an attack on any one of the three nations will be treated as an attack on all.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that New Delhi was ‘closely monitoring’ the trilateral defense pact, without elaborating further.
Indian media outlets, however, have since examined what the agreement could mean for Pakistan's defense posture; naturally, many have criticized it. India Today has called it the ‘Sunni or Muslim NATO.’
Some Indian analysts noted that Pakistan is gaining deeper cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye across intelligence sharing, weapons, training, and financial support, which could be worrisome for India.
Indian defense analysts were also quick to condemn Türkiye for its growing military cooperation with Pakistan.
Lieutenant General Raj Shukla, while speaking to India Today, said that Türkiye had ‘no business’ providing Pakistan with autonomous weapons, stressing that New Delhi ‘should further strengthen’ ties with India as a response to the Makkah Agreement.
Many Indian media outlets added that the agreement could further ease Pakistan's access to Türkiye's drone technology and electronic warfare capabilities.
The agreement builds on an earlier Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) signed in September 2025, which similarly declared that any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both.
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