Show Notes
A fresh jolt in West Asia: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement. Is it just a formalisation of a decades-old security relationship or the birth of an 'Islamic NATO'?
On the latest episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan unpack what's real, what's posturing and why the announcement landed just as Israel struck targets in Qatar, a US ally, trying to mediate with Hamas. The episode especially explores what the agreement means for India.
The two discuss:
-Trace the Pak-Saudi security history and what's actually "new" in this pact
-Decode India's response and how New Delhi should read Riyadh's move
-Ask the uncomfortable bit: money flows to military to militants?
-Explore the nuclear chatter: Pakistani umbrella for Saudi?
-Revisit the long-running theory of US contingency plans around Pakistan's nukes
-Game out an "Op Sindoor 2.0" scenario: where does Saudi sit if India-Pakistan tensions flare?
Tune in!
Produced by Taniya Dutta
Sound Mixed by Aman Pal
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