Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defense pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.
Asif’s comments underline the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.
The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation. It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety as the Israel-Hamas war devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge.
Speaking to the private TV channel in an interview late Thursday night, Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia.
“Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield,” Asif said.
“What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he added.
The two countries signed a defense deal Wednesday declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan has categorically stated that the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed with Saudi Arabia underscores the two countries’ shared commitment to regional peace and security. The pact is not aimed at threatening any other nation, Associated Press of Pakitan (APP) reported.
In his weekly media briefing on Friday, the spokesperson said that under the agreement, any aggression against either country will be considered as aggression against both, thus underscoring the depth of mutual trust and commitment to joint deterrence.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed profound gratitude for the Kingdom’s warm welcome and generous hospitality, and conveyed best wishes for the continued well-being of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, as well as the progress and prosperity of the Saudi people, the spokesperson noted, adding, the Crown Prince, in turn, extended warm wishes for Pakistan’s peace and development.
The spokesperson highlighted that the prime minister’s visit also came against the backdrop of the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit held in Doha on September 15, convened after Israel’s airstrikes on Qatar.
Ambassador Khan said the prime minister, in his address at the summit, strongly condemned Israeli aggression and reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unflinching commitment to the Palestinian cause and solidarity with Qatar and other Muslim states facing unlawful hostilities.” He highlighted Pakistan’s call at the UN Human Rights Council for an urgent debate on Israel’s actions, and emphasised the need for Islamic unity to confront “growing Israeli aggression.”
The joint communiqué adopted at the summit, he added, demonstrated “the collective resolve of over 50 Arab and Islamic states to hold Israel accountable for its repeated violations of international law and human rights.
On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Sharif held bilateral meetings with the Qatar Emir, the Saudi Crown Prince, the King of Jordan, and the Presidents of Egypt and Iran, furthering Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach.
The spokesperson also briefed on parallel diplomatic engagements, including the President Asif Ali Zardari’s ongoing visit to China, where agreements were signed on agriculture, vocational training, and environmental cooperation, as well as recent telephone exchanges of the deputy prime minister with his counterparts in Egypt, Germany, and the United States.
Ambassador Khan concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its historic partnerships with Saudi Arabia, China, and other allies, while maintaining principled support for peace, sovereignty, and the rights of oppressed peoples, particularly in Palestine and Kashmir.
Separately, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has termed the defence deal an important milestone in strengthening partnership, trust and cooperation. He expressed these views during a telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.