India, Sept. 19 -- The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a major upgrade of the long-standing economic, political and security ties between the two countries, needs to be read in the context of the turbulence in West Asia, where Israel has, in recent months, attacked multiple nations over their alleged support for Hamas. It has implications in the long term for India, but they need not be exaggerated at this moment: New Delhi's relations with Riyadh are independent of the latter's links to Islamabad and underlined by historical and cultural factors as well as growing trade and the presence of a large diaspora. The external affairs ministry has said it was aware that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were consid...