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Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the nuclear-armed nation’s capabilities will “absolutely” be available under a newly signed strategic mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Asif emphasized the pact was a “purely defensive” arrangement aimed at ensuring joint security.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement Wednesday in Riyadh.
In an interview with Pakistan’s Geo News television late Thursday, Asif described the deal as an “umbrella” pact. “If either country is attacked, we will respond jointly,” he said.
A joint statement issued after the signing ceremony said the agreement “reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieve security and peace in the region and the world.” It said the accord seeks to deepen defense cooperation and “strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.”
The agreement specifies that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
“We did not name anyone, but whoever commits aggression will face a united response. This is a defensive agreement,” Asif said.
Asked whether Saudi Arabia would benefit from Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella, Asif replied: “What we have, our capabilities, will absolutely be available under this pact.”
He noted that Pakistan, which conducted its first nuclear tests in 1998, “is a responsible nuclear power,” a status that has “never” been challenged.
Asif also dismissed suggestions that the United States was consulted about the pact. “There was no ground or justification to take a third party into confidence,” he said. “This is not a hegemonic arrangement but a defensive pact, while the U.S. itself has such treaties with many countries.”
“It is our fundamental right to defend ourselves. We have no intention of occupying anyone else’s land,” he added.
On whether other nations might join such an arrangement, Asif said it was premature to comment but noted that Pakistan’s “doors are open.”
Global power dynamics are shifting, he said. “In the coming times, China will lead the world. Personally, I believe people are now looking to China.”
A Saudi official quoted by the Financial Times said Riyadh and Islamabad had been “working on this for well over a year” in a process “based on a two to three year conversation.”
“We hope it will reinforce our deterrence—aggression against one is aggression against the other,” the official said. “This is a comprehensive defense agreement that will utilize all defensive and military means deemed necessary depending on the specific threat.”
“KSA and Pakistan ... One front against any aggressor ... Always and forever,” Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman wrote Thursday on X, the U.S. social media platform.
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