Riyadh: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a significant defence pact on Wednesday, establishing a mutual defence commitment. The core of the agreement is the clause that “any aggression against either country shall be considered as an act of aggression against both”.
This pact is reported to formalise the use of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons to defend Saudi Arabia.
The deal was signed in Riyadh by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieve security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the joint statement said.
The pact states that any attack on either country will be treated as an attack on both, highlighting a shift from informal security ties to an institutionalised military framework.
This development follows a meeting of Islamic countries in Doha to discuss an attack by Israel on Qatar, and it signals a broadening of Saudi Arabia’s security partnerships beyond the United States.
The agreement has wider geopolitical ramifications, particularly concerning India’s strategic relations with Saudi Arabia and its own strained relationship with Pakistan.
India Reacts
Reacting to the development, India said it had been aware that such a pact was under discussion between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, “we have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration.”
He further added that New Delhi will assess all the strategic and security implications of the pact, while reaffirming its commitment to national security across all fronts.
“We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.”
