LONDON – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that several countries are interested in signing defense agreements with Pakistan following the recent pact with Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to reporters outside the Pakistani High Commission in London, Dar noted that Pakistan had already demonstrated its defense strength during Marka-e-Haq and now the country’s priority was to transform itself into an economic power.
He described the Pakistan-Saudi agreement as mutually beneficial and emphasized that no state had raised objections to it. Instead, he added, other nations were keen to pursue similar defense partnerships with Pakistan.
Dar also highlighted Pakistan’s improving economic outlook, citing renewed international trust and increasing investments. He pointed to a recent $500 million deal with a US company in the minerals sector as proof of rising foreign interest. “The country is now moving towards genuine economic improvement and poverty alleviation,” he remarked.
He further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had effectively raised the issues of Kashmir and Palestine at global forums and thanked Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Indonesia for supporting Pakistan’s stance.
On September 17, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a historic bilateral defense agreement in Riyadh, declaring that aggression against either state would be treated as aggression against both.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has stated that Tehran should also be included in the Pakistan-Saudi agreement.