As expected, the meeting of Muslim countries ended with a hollow declaration. The practical proposals put forward by Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, etc., could not become part of the joint declaration, and the matter concluded with mere verbal condemnation. If this was all that was to happen, what was the need for such a grand meeting? Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un.
Quote:
جيسا كه خطره تها مسلم ملكوں کااجلاس ایک کھوکھلے اعلامیہ پر ختم ھوگیا پاکستان ترکی ملائیشیا وغیرہ کی پیش کی ھوئی عملی تجاویز بھی مشترک اعلامیہ کا حصہ نہ بن سکیں اور لفظی مذمت پر بات ختم ہوگئی اگر یہی کچھ ھو ناتھا تو اتنے بڑے اجلاس کی کیا ضرورت تھی اناللہ واناالیہ راجعون
The column is too optimistic but I guess the core idea is correct.
(English Translation of an Urdu column)
Defense Pact… Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, One Soul in Two Bodies
The reaction to the Israeli attack on Qatar has already begun to surface. The Saudi-Pakistan defense pact was its first manifestation. This initial glimpse has slowly begun to lift the veil from the true declaration of the Qatar Summit.
The Israeli attack on Qatar was a turning point. To grasp the depth of this statement, one must understand that the Muslim world has four layers. Outside the Arab world lies the non-Arab world (‘Ajam). The topmost Arab layer is Palestine. Beneath it are non-Gulf Arab countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The innermost layer—the core itself—consists of the six Gulf states: UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
Israel began its meddling with the non-Arab world in the 1970s with an operation in Uganda, though Uganda was not a Muslim country. The first Muslim nation outside the Arab world to face Zionist brutality was Tunisia in 1985, when Israel attacked the PLO headquarters in Tunis, killing about 70 people. In 2012, Sudan was attacked. Palestine, the upper Arab layer, has faced this venom since 1948. Beneath it, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon have repeatedly suffered Israeli savagery. But the Arab heartland had so far remained safe—until recently. Qatar became the first Gulf country to be directly targeted by Israel. Bahrain and the UAE already have diplomatic ties with Israel. With Qatar attacked, only Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia remain. For now, Kuwait and Oman face no danger, but Saudi Arabia has been indirectly warned: Qatar’s strike is a message that Saudi Arabia could be the next target if it acts independently.
What we in Pakistan can see clearly cannot possibly escape the Arab states. Palestine has already been lost; now the challenge for every Arab nation is to safeguard its own existence. They have realized that America is not sincere to them—its loyalties lie with Israel. Arabs, in their simplicity, allowed the U.S. to set up bases everywhere. Yet despite America’s massive presence, no Arab state has a formal defense pact with Washington. The U.S. only made verbal promises of protection while handing over military training and weapons as playthings. Unlike NATO countries, Japan, or South Korea, the Arabs were never given defense agreements that obligate America to defend them in case of attack.
Tiny Bahrain, despite hosting the U.S. Fifth Fleet, only has “non-NATO ally” status—still no defense treaty. The UAE signed strong agreements last year, but even those lacked defense commitments. The same is true for Jordan.
Saudi Arabia’s story is unique. When Israel appeared as a malignant tumor in 1948, no Muslim country recognized it. After Egypt regained some dignity in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, U.S. President Jimmy Carter pushed for reconciliation, leading to the Camp David Accords of 1978 and the recognition of Israel by Egypt in 1979. This was the first attempt to give Israel space in the Muslim world. The second attempt came with the Oslo Accords of 1993, when the Palestinian Authority recognized Israel, followed by Jordan in 1994. The third and final attempt began in 2020 under Trump with the Abraham Accords, aiming to bring the heart of Islam—Saudi Arabia—into Israel’s fold. To pressure Riyadh, Iran was given a freer hand in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, encircling Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Bahrain and the UAE slipped into Israel’s embrace.
Saudi Arabia, cornered, set two conditions for recognizing Israel: help in acquiring nuclear capability and a NATO-style defense pact with the U.S. However, America reserved such “special friendship” only for Israel. The tug-of-war dragged on. Crown Prince MBS even warned that recognizing Israel might lead to his assassination like Anwar Sadat. The back-and-forth continued until October 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters stormed out and struck Israel, burying the Abraham Accords.
The Pakistan-Saudi defense pact has now brought into daylight many truths absent in Doha’s declaration: talk of recognizing Israel is dead; America is now seen as an intruder in the Arab world, stripped of trust; Arabs no longer expect U.S. protection in crises; and Pakistan has emerged as a trusted partner for their defense. For now, it is Saudi Arabia and Pakistan embracing—but more Arab states are saddling their horses to follow.
This pact also places Pakistan and Israel directly face-to-face as rivals for the first time in history, where the chances of direct confrontation are now high. It is as if the Arabs have raised Pakistan’s flag, making it the vanguard soldier standing boldly before the enemy.
Another hidden but significant aspect: Saudi Arabia’s turn toward Pakistan also signals a pivot toward the Chinese camp. The new road now stretches from Riyadh to Islamabad and from Islamabad through Kashgar to Beijing. Pakistan has already demonstrated by shifting from U.S. dependency to China that it can survive and thrive. Once, Pakistan relied 100% on U.S. arms; today, nearly 80% of its defense needs are met by China. Outwardly, Pakistan maintains ties with Washington, but its heart now beats for Beijing. This is why Iran, China, Russia, and Tajikistan are pressuring the Afghan government, and under this pressure, the TTP recently sought negotiations with Pakistan. If the Arabs are now turning to trust their bold brother Pakistan, it is cause for joy.
Why then was none of this mentioned in the Qatar Summit declaration? Because the Arabs are still under U.S. grip—weak and fragile. They cannot yet openly defy Washington; instead, they must shift quietly, like undercurrents. Summits are public shows, but real work happens behind curtains. That is why we said: the real announcements are not in words, but in future actions. The Saudi-Pakistan pact is Article One of the true declaration. Much more will soon emerge.
Congratulations to Pakistan on becoming the Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques!
I think it was something about forming a defence force for the Muslim countries akin to NATO.
Can't say about Turkey and Malaysia, but the faasiq Pak military was obviously looking for an influx of dollars, not for the country but for their own ventures.
Seems more like wishful thinking.
Pakistan has been isolated by the Gulf countries ever since they refused to participate in their war and bombardment of Yemen.
They were angered by Imran Khans anti-American rhetoric, and calls for the Arab world to stand up for Palestine.
They have gone out of their way to honour Modi and invest billions in India, and to distance themselves from Pakistan.
Plus they have also distanced themselves from Kashmiri struggle and oppression of Muslims within India and labelled those internal Indian matters.
These Arab Munafiq rulers are more likely to create bases for the Indian Army in their countries then Pakistan.
As for this Authors assertion that this is a secret move being made that no one knows about is absurd. First question is if it was so secret how does he know about it?
Secondly American intelligence services are fully embedded in these Gulf countries, they have offices there, and they work in alliance with local intelligence services. And members of local royal families are foreign intelligence assets.
The article seems to be written for the benefit of Pak Army most likely at their behest.
I’ve been seeing a bunch of posts on social media and YouTube from Pakistan, even from some religious figures, hyping up this agreement. Honestly, it just shows how easily people get pleased with symbolic stuff. We’ve seen it over and over again, these so-called defense pacts between Arab and Muslim countries usually don’t mean much beyond political showmanship. They look good in headlines, but when it comes down to real action, they almost never deliver.
Just look at the track record. The Arab League’s defense treaty has been around since 1950 and never stopped a single war between its members. The Baghdad Pact collapsed as soon as Iraq pulled out. The GCC’s Peninsula Shield Force exists on paper but has only shown up in token ways. Iran and Syria signed a defense pact in 2006, but it was more about headlines than armies moving. The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition looked impressive with 41 states, yet it turned into little more than Saudi PR. Time and again these grand announcements get celebrated, and time and again they fail to amount to anything real.
“The Americans promised that President Donald Trump would manage the crisis and restrain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from launching similar attacks on another Gulf country,” he added. “The Emiratis strongly supported this stance.”
Other Arab states “found themselves cornered when Qatar’s stance, backed by the UAE, dominated the meeting”, the diplomat explained.
“They decided that any step against Israel would now be futile, and that the best option was to push the US to pressure Israel into a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said, adding: “Most of these talks took place between the foreign ministers of Gulf states and their Egyptian counterpart, Abdelatty, behind closed doors on the sidelines of the summit, and were not made public.”
At this point calling it recognition just feels like a PR move. Recognise what exactly, the bodies, the mass graves? After two years of genocide, now they show up with this symbolic gesture but still no real action to stop the killing. Recognition means nothing if there is no willingness to actually act. What is even left to recognise now?
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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