Pakistan's secret defense pact with Saudi Arabia — never reviewed by parliament — puts Islamabad in an impossible position as a so-called neutral mediator. Deploying fighter jets to Saudi Arabia on the same day ceasefire talks were underway in Islamabad is a glaring conflict of interest that severely undermined any credibility Pakistan had with Tehran. A country bound by treaty to defend one side of a war simply cannot credibly act as a broker for peace.

Pakistan’s deepening defense ties with Saudi Arabia reflect a regional order no longer anchored solely in Western security guarantees. As Riyadh recalibrates between Washington, Beijing and a cautious de-escalation with Iran, long-standing military pacts with Islamabad take on new weight. What appears as bilateral defense cooperation is part of a broader shift where traditional alliances are quietly reconfigured without formally breaking from the Western system.