Pakistan and Saudia Arabia's mutual defence pact is rooted in a long tradition of military cooperation between the two countries. - Photo: SPA/AFP
PARIS: The new mutual defence pact signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this month surprised many and came just days after the Gulf region was rattled by Israeli strikes on a Hamas compound in Qatar.
The agreement comes at an especially volatile time in the wake of both Iranian and Israeli strikes on Doha, uncertainty over the future of Tehran's nuclear programme, and clashes between India and Pakistan in May.
