India, Aug. 11 -- There was always something inevitable about the new Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkey mutual defence agreement. Islamabad's security ties with longtime allies Riyadh and Ankara have intensified in recent years, culminating in last year's Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact and stepped-up Pakistan-Turkey defence cooperation that resulted in Pakistan drawing on Turkish drones in its conflict with India last year.

And after many years of tensions, Ankara and Riyadh have experienced a rapid rapprochement - one spearheaded by a 2023 Turkish drones deal. With the three countries further increasing cooperation during the Iran war, recent months had produced ample buzz about an imminent new trilateral arrangement.

With each country ...