Small events in the world often lead to major changes—like the incident of Pahalgam on April 22, which triggered significant political shifts globally. Using Pahalgam as a pretext, India launched a highly confident and impulsive strike on Pakistan on 7th May. Just three days later, on May 10, Pakistan’s retaliatory action not only crushed India’s arrogance and pride but also earned Pakistan a distinct place on the world stage. For eighteen days, the conflict between Pakistan and India was more about nerves than weaponry. China was fully aware of the global situation, which is why it unofficially supported Pakistan in every possible way. Pakistan’s two-hour-long counter-operation shattered global assumptions.
Emboldened by their arrogance, Israel attacked Iran on June 13th. However, Iran tore apart Israel’s so-called strongest air defense systems. It’s a misconception that Iran alone was capable of such action. After this chain of small events, the world no longer remains unipolar. Instead, three major powers now exist: the United States, Russia, and China.
The U.S. chose to back Israel and has continuously supported Israel’s every unlawful act in the United Nations. After the attack on Qatar, the Arab nations had no choice but to align themselves with the China-Russia block. China’s most significant frontline player in this new order is Pakistan.
The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should be understood as a trilateral alliance led by China. In a tri-polar world, two powers will always align to weaken the third one. In this context, Russia is now part of the China-led block.
This agreement isn’t limited to Saudi Arabia; other Arab nations will also join such pacts to protect themselves from aggressors like Israel, with Pakistan playing a central role. However, such defense agreements may not even be required, as Arab states already have existing defense collaborations. After the attack on Qatar, Saudi Arabia wasted no time in coming under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella, defying all of Israel’s assumptions.
Now, Pakistan can deploy its missiles in Saudi Arabia. With Pakistan’s missile system in place, Israel would never even think of attacking Saudi Arabia. From an Islamic perspective, Pakistan is now responsible for the protection of the Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Some argue that Pakistan is now entangled in Saudi Arabia’s wars. Questions arise, what if there’s an attack, how will Pakistan respond? But it’s unlikely that there will be any war now. Neither will India attack Pakistan, nor will Israel attack Saudi Arabia. These agreements have been made precisely to prevent war.
Years of effort by India and Israel to build ties with the Arab world have been undone by a single agreement. If we assess the economic aspects of this pact, Pakistan will no longer have to bear defense costs alone, Arab funding will also be used to further strengthen Pakistan’s defense systems. There will be more job opportunities for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia, and bilateral trade will expand. Pakistan will not only export weapons but also be responsible for training Arab forces.
All these developments point to one clear fact, the Global South has become a reality now. Israel’s attack has made Arab nations realize that the U.S. and Europe are not reliable allies. Whenever Israel is involved, America openly sides with it. Previously, the Arabs had no alternative, but now, they have, in the form of China, Russia, and Pakistan. It is this alliance with Pakistan that will protect the Arabs from any new Israeli adventurism. Pakistan is emerging as a reliable partner for the Gulf.Europe had already felt the shifting influence and its waning control over Gulf countries. However, decades-old policies are not easy to change. The U.S.’s efforts in the Middle East over the past two months have been destroyed by Netanyahu.
The most positive aspect is that Pakistan, for the first time in its history, has swiftly and strategically benefited from changing regional and global dynamics. Now, all that remains is for Pakistan to fix its internal security and governance, good news are coming from outside.
Written by: Sajid Anwar Wardak
The author is a Ph.D. research scholar in International Relations
