Saudi Arabia and Pakistan seal defence pact with nuclear backing; India voices concerns over regional security
According to a mutual defence agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, both nations will offer military help if India or any other nation attacks one of them.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) September 20: In an interview on Friday, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif states that Saudi Arabia will intervene in the event that Delhi attacked Islamabad as per the new security agreement agreed in Riyadh.
Commitment to Joint Defence
Asif says that the deal is a collective defence agreement. It is not about any one nation and should not be used for aggression. The agreement was signed on Wednesday. It states that an assault on one country will be interpreted as an assault on both.
He says, "If there is aggression, whether against Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, we will jointly defend against it.”
Asif claims the deal as "an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party - from any side - it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response.”
Khawaja Asif also adds that other Arab nations are still welcome to join the mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. According to him, the agreement contains no provisions that prohibits the entry of any other nation.
Extension of Nuclear Protection
For the first time, Islamabad has publicly acknowledged putting the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella. Pakistan's defence minister says that his nation's nuclear capabilities may be expanded to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence deal.
Asif says, “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. What we have, our capabilities, will absolutely be available under this pact.”
The defence minister describes Pakistan as an "abiding nuclear power". He also says that inspections of his nation's nuclear facilities are welcome.
Asif's comments emphasize the significance of the defence agreement signed this week between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The two countries with decades-long military connections.
Middle East on Edge
The weapons deal between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan coincides with increased Gulf tensions. This is after Israeli strikes around the region, including a deadly attack in Doha that targeted senior Hamas leaders. Experts interpret the agreement as a warning to Israel. Israel has been thought to be the only nuclear-armed nation in the Middle East.
India’s Diplomatic Standpoint
Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs says that India expects Saudi Arabia to consider "mutual interests and sensitivities". This is after Riyadh's signing of the defence accord with Islamabad.
Jaiswal adds that India will do everything in its power to safeguard its interests as a nation. The count guarantees total national security across the board. He adds that New Delhi will research how the agreement will affect regional and international stability.
He says, “India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership which has deepened in the last several years considerably. We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”
Jaiswal mentions that India is aware that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had been contemplating a deal of this kind to formalize a long-standing agreement between the two nations.
