Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signing a defence agreement based on a Nato-style collective defence principle, clearly aimed at dealing with a threat from Iran and its proxies, is just another reminder of what the West Asia cauldron is like presently, gripped by an enigmatic alternating cycle of escalating wars and periods of tense peace. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement should not, however, be seen as anything more than a shield for Saudi Arabia’s historical apprehensions over the possible threat of a Shiite-majority Iran going nuclear. This is not to be taken to mean that if any nation attacks Pakistan, as India did last year, the pact will automatically draw other allies into the conflict. India need not fear what may be termed an Islamic Nato, which is not about Sunni Muslim-majority nations ganging up with Pakistan. And there is no categorical nuclear-sharing clause in this agreement which Iran could use as an excuse to further any nuclear weapon ambitions.