Turkey to join Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact? Asim Munir’s ‘Islamic NATO’ dream coming true as Erdogan approves proposal to…; why this is a concern for India?

Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir’s ambitious dream of establishing a nuclear-armed ‘Islamic NATO’ appears to be coming true as Turkey and Pakistan are set to sign a strategic mutual defense agreement– similar to the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact– following formal approval by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is on a visit to Turkey, met with President Erdogan, and the two countries discussed bilateral defense cooperation and strategic partnership, including a Pakistan-Saudi style mutual-defense pact which would allow Ankara to join a trilateral security alliance with Islamabad and Riyadh.

Why Turkey wants to join Islamic NATO?

Following his meeting with Munir, Erdogan reportedly approved the proposal to join the security alliance, paving the way for the creation of a NATO-style security arrangement between Muslim countries.

As per experts, Turkey sees a major opportunity in the Saudi-Pakistan defense agreement, including boosting his arms exports by selling drones, and fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Notably, Turkey is one of Pakistan’s major arms suppliers after China, and has provided advanced weaponry to Islamabad, including warships, killer drones, and missiles. Ankara is now looking to sell its Kahn fighter jets to Pakistan, but Islamabad doesn’t have the funds, and is eyeing Riyadh’s money.

Is an Islamic NATO actually taking shape?

Reports citing intelligence sources suggest discussions are underway to establish a mutual defense mechanism during Asim Munir’s Turkey visit. During his meeting with Erdogan, Munir also discussed the Iran war and the Houthis, following which an agreement was reached to strengthen strategic and defense agreements, as per reports.

According to geopolitical experts, with Turkey’s entry, a Saudi-led “Islamic NATO” is taking shape, which also being called the R-4 Group, and will include Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

The The R-4 Group seeks to play a key role in regional conflicts through defense coordination and diplomatic cooperation. The proposed bloc will operate on the principle of collective security, a fundamental principle of NATO, and an attack on one country will be considered as an attack all countries in the alliance, similar to Article 5 of NATO.

The development comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is facing attacks from Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis, and has been pummelled by Iranian missile and drone attacks during the ongoing West Asia crisis.

More than 10,000 Pakistani soldiers are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia, while Islamabad has also deployed its fighter jets in the desert Kingdom as Western security guarantees in the region have weakened after the Iran war.

Why an Islamic NATO is a concern for India?

Turkey, along with China, was among the handful of countries that came out in open support of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May last year. Ankara also provided Islamabad with combat drones and other weaponry which were used to target Indian territory during the conflict.

Thus, Turkey joining a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan presents a major security challenge to India as Ankara would be treaty-bound to intervene on Pakistan’s behalf in case of any future India-Pakistan military conflict.

According to experts, the R-4 is also closely monitoring the growing friendship between India, the UAE, and Israel, and Saudi Arabia is hosting a major security summit of its Muslim allies, where threats from Israel and the Houthis will be discussed.

Pakistan-Saudi Arabia mutual defence pact

In September last year, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had signed a historic Mutual Defense Agreement under which an attack on either country will be considered aggression against both.

The NATO-style mutual defence pact, which positioned Pakistan as a security guarantor in the Middle East and strengthened its strategic ties with the Arab-Islamic world, has now placed Islamabad in a major diplomatic dilemma after Iran launched attacks on US installations in Saudi Arabia.