Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign mutual defense pact

2025-09-19 12:18:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a formal mutual defense pact on Wednesday, a move that significantly strengthens a decades-old security partnership as regional tensions remain high.

The pact comes as Gulf Arab states are growing increasingly wary of the United States' credibility as their primary security guarantor. Israel's attack on Qatar last week heightened those concerns.

"The agreement is a culmination of years of discussions. This is not a response to specific countries or specific events, but an institutionalization of long and deep cooperation between our two countries," a senior Saudi official told Reuters when asked why the agreement was signed at this particular time.

Israel's airstrikes in Doha, to kill Hamas political leaders as they were discussing a ceasefire proposal that Qatar is helping to broker, angered many Arab countries.

The pact could change the strategic calculus in a complex region. Washington's allies and Gulf monarchies have sought to stabilize ties with Iran, as well as Israel, in order to resolve long-standing security concerns.

But the war in Gaza has rocked the region, and Qatar has been directly hit twice this year, once by Iran and once by Israel.

The Saudi deal comes months after Pakistan fought a brief military conflict in May with rival state India.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a tweet on Thursday that India was aware of the development, adding that it would study the implications for New Delhi's security and regional stability.

The senior Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the need to balance relations with Pakistan's rival India, which is also a nuclear power.

"Our relationship with India is stronger than ever. We will continue to develop this relationship and try to contribute to regional peace in any way we can."

Asked whether Pakistan would be obligated to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella under the pact, the official said: "This is a comprehensive defense agreement that includes all military assets."

Pakistani state television showed footage showing Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, embracing after signing the agreement. Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, considered the country's most powerful man, was present.

"This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of the two nations to enhance their security and achieve security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen mutual deterrence against any aggression. The agreement states that any aggression against either country will be considered an aggression against both," the Pakistani prime minister's office said in a statement./ CNA