**Saudi Arabia to Defend Pakistan if India Attacks, Says Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif**

*Islamabad:* Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday stated that Saudi Arabia will come to Pakistan’s defense if India attacks in the future. Making these remarks during a media interaction, Asif emphasized the strength and nature of the new strategic partnership between the two countries.

“Ji bilkul, isme koi shak nahi hai (Sure, no doubt in it),” Asif told Pakistan’s Geo News.

He clarified that the arrangement is not an “aggressive pact” but a defensive one, similar to NATO’s framework. He explained that Pakistan has long been involved in training Saudi forces, and the recent agreement merely formalizes and extends this ongoing cooperation.

“If there is aggression, whether against Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, we will jointly defend against it,” he added during the interview with Geo TV.

Highlighting the joint defence agreement signed between Riyadh and Islamabad, Asif stated that it provides a mutual defence framework. He also made clear that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia has named any specific country as a potential aggressor.

“We have not named any country as the aggressor, nor has Saudi Arabia. This is simply an umbrella arrangement provided by both sides. In case of any aggression, from any country, it will be jointly addressed and defended,” Asif said, as quoted by News18.

**Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons to Be Available for Saudi Arabia**

During the media interaction, Asif also confirmed that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal would be accessible to Saudi Arabia under this Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.

The agreement was signed in Riyadh during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit on Wednesday, September 17. A joint statement released after the signing highlighted the historic partnership, noting nearly eight decades of cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

“Building on the historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation between the two countries, HRH the Crown Prince and the Pakistani prime minister signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement,” the statement read.

It further noted, “The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”

**India Reacts to the Defence Pact**

A day after the agreement was signed, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement saying the pact was under consideration.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during a weekly press briefing, said, “India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership which has deepened considerably in the last several years. We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”

It is notable that Pakistan remains the only Islamic country possessing nuclear weapons, a factor that adds complexity to the new defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia.

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*This strategic defence pact marks a significant development in South Asian geopolitics, potentially reshaping regional alliances and security dynamics.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/pak-defence-minister-khawaja-asifs-big-claim-on-whether-saudi-arabia-could-join-pakistan-if-tensions-with-india-escalate-heres-what-he-said