THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Pakistan has long positioned itself as a champion of Muslim unity, constantly invoking the concept of the “Ummah”—the global Muslim community bound by faith and solidarity. In September 2025, Pakistan triumphantly announced a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia, celebrating it as proof of Islamic brotherhood and military strength. Just months later, the conflicts with India and Afghanistan have brutally exposed both the defence pact and the Ummah concept as little more than empty rhetoric.
When Pakistan Needed Help, Nobody Came
In May 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Pakistan initially claimed that President Trump mediated a ceasefire, only to backtrack when India firmly stated that talks happened directly between the two countries at Pakistan’s request, with no American involvement. The Saudi defence pact, signed just months earlier with great fanfare, proved worthless. Saudi Arabia offered no military assistance, no diplomatic muscle—nothing beyond polite statements.
Then came October 2025, when Afghanistan and Pakistan engaged in their deadliest border fighting in years. The Taliban claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and captured 25 border posts, while Pakistan admitted losing 23 soldiers. Once again, Pakistan’s much-celebrated Saudi defence pact delivered nothing. Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued appeals for calm—the same thing any uninvolved country might do. No troops arrived. No weapons were sent. No serious pressure was applied on Afghanistan.
The pattern is clear: when Pakistan faces actual threats, the grand alliances disappear like smoke.
Why the Saudi Pact Is Worthless
The harsh reality is that the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact was never designed to help Pakistan. It was created to serve Saudi Arabia’s interests in the Middle East, particularly against Israel and Iran. Pakistan is located 2,600 miles away from Saudi Arabia and cannot project military power to the Gulf region. More importantly, Pakistan’s military is entirely focused on India—its real security concern.
Saudi Arabia has its own priorities too, and Pakistan doesn’t rank high on that list. Saudi-India trade reached $41.88 billion in 2024-25, which is eight times larger than Saudi-Pakistan trade. The Saudis even conducted joint military exercises with Indian forces in August 2025. Why would Saudi Arabia risk its lucrative relationship with India to defend Pakistan?
Experts have noted that the defence pact lacks any enforcement mechanism. Unlike NATO’s Article 5, which commits all members to defend each other with institutional backing, the Saudi-Pakistan pact is essentially a photo opportunity—a symbolic gesture without substance.
The Ummah: A Convenient Fiction
Pakistan constantly speaks of the Ummah, presenting itself as a defender of Muslims worldwide. But when Pakistan needed the Ummah, where was it? Afghanistan, a Muslim country, was fighting Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, prioritized its business deals with Hindu-majority India. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued another wordy statement that changed nothing on the ground.
The truth is that the Ummah exists as political rhetoric, not practical solidarity. Muslim-majority nations pursue their own national interests, just like everyone else. Saudi Arabia has essentially narrowed the concept of Ummah to serve its own version of Islam and Arab nationalism. When it formed the Islamic Military Counterterrorism Coalition of 40 Muslim countries, the real goal was to recruit troops for Yemen and counter Iran—not to serve collective Muslim interests.
Pakistan uses the Ummah concept selectively. When facing India or the West, Pakistan positions itself as representing all Muslims. When dealing with wealthier Arab nations, Pakistan emphasizes its unique identity and criticizes Arab states for not doing enough. But when Pakistan actually needs help, this flexible identity provides no benefits.
The Bitter Lesson
The Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict and the earlier Operation Sindoor have taught a harsh lesson: Pakistan’s grand alliances and appeals to Muslim unity are built on sand. The Saudi defence pact that Pakistan celebrated so loudly cannot protect Pakistan from its actual neighbours. The Ummah that Pakistan constantly invokes offers nothing but statements when Pakistan is under pressure.
Material interests trump religious solidarity every time. Saudi Arabia cares more about Indian trade than Pakistani security. Muslim countries will not sacrifice their own interests for abstract concepts of brotherhood. The institutions meant to represent Muslim unity, like the OIC, have proven paralyzed and ineffective at every crisis, from Gaza to Pakistan’s borders.
Pakistan has boasted about leading the Muslim world and representing the Ummah. But recent events have shattered this illusion. When the shooting started, Pakistan stood alone. The defence pacts were meaningless. The Ummah was silent. The only thing Pakistan had was the same thing every nation ultimately relies on: its own strength and its willingness to negotiate directly with its adversaries.
References
1.https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/14/asia/pakistan-afghanistan-attacks-intl-hnk
2.https://www.citizensvoice.com/2025/10/15/pakistan-afghanistan-ceasefire/
3.https://www.juancole.com/2025/10/pakistan-bilateral-unlikely.html
4.https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/10/03/unity-among-muslim-countries-vital-to-strengthen-ummah-aneeq/
5.https://www.insightturkey.com/articles/is-pakistan-a-failed-state-an-assessment-of-islamist-ideals-nationalist-articulation-and-ground-realities
