There will be no Islamic NATO, after all. Over the last few months, speculations were rife in a certain section of Pakistani and Turkish media that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were moving towards the creation of an “Islamic NATO”.
This was in the backdrop of the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia in September 17, 2025, which formalised deep-rooted military cooperation. The pact includes intelligence-sharing, joint military mechanisms, and a collective defense clause where aggression against one is treated as an act against both.
Soon after the pact, there were speculations that Turkey was in advanced talks with both countries to join the mutual defence pact, a move that could reshape security equations across South Asia. Turkey’ foreign minister also confirmed that discussions were taking place regarding Ankara’s involvement. Turkey reportedly expressed interest in the alliance as this could enable its interests in South Asia, the Middle East, and even Africa, which were increasingly aligning with those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. At a time when US President Donald Trump's approach to NATO was being questioned, Turkey saw the trilateral alliance as a way to meet its own security needs and strengthen its deterrence mechanisms.
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The development was keenly watched by regional analysts considering Turkey’s public anti-India stance during the recent Operation Sindhoor.
Not just in words, Turkey also supported Pakistan, supplying it with hundreds of drones, including Bayraktar TB2s and loitering munitions, along with trained personnel. These assets were deployed against Indian positions during the conflict.
The two Islamic nations also extended their cooperation across several areas, including defence. Then, there were also fears that this could leave India strategically isolated in the region.
Pakistani leadership added fuel to the discourse. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar suggested that if more Muslim countries joined such arrangements, “it will effectively become a new NATO.”
This, despite several regional analysts stating that talk of an Islamic NATO is largely symbolic rather than substantive due to their deep internal rivalries between Muslim nations and other geopolitical equations.
However, the speculations have lost steam, thanks to a report quoting a senior Saudi official who confirmed that Turkey will not be joining the new defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. “Turkiye won’t join the defence pact with Pakistan,” the source told AFP. “It’s a bilateral pact with Pakistan and will remain a bilateral pact.”
A Gulf official also told the outlet that though Saudi Arabia had common agreements with Turkiye, the one with Pakistan will stay bilateral.”
The Saudi official’s statement only reasserts the popular view that Saudi Arabia wouldn’t adopt a military alignment that was against India. Riyadh views India as a long-term economic partner, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants strong partnerships with major economies as he attempts to diversify away from oil dependence.
Not only does Saudi Arabia want to maintain stable relations with India, but it also does not want to make any disruptive military alignment against the US-Israel strategic axis, considering that Turkey has severely strained relations with Israel.