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2h ago

Pakistan Casts Saudi Defense Pact as Formalization of Longstanding Ties

Khawaja Asif says talks predated the Qatar attack, declining to spell out any nuclear provisions.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
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Pakistan and Saudia Arabia's mutual defence pact is rooted in a long tradition of military cooperation between the two countries
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Overview

  • Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement that declares any attack on one will be treated as an attack on both, with the signing taking place in Riyadh during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on September 17.
  • Defence Minister Khawaja Asif says the pact was not prompted by the recent attack in Qatar, though he acknowledged the incident may have accelerated negotiations already underway.
  • Asif describes the pact as giving structure to decades of cooperation, noting Pakistan previously stationed 4,000 to 5,000 troops in Saudi Arabia and maintains a military presence there.
  • Pressed on whether the agreement involves a Pakistani nuclear umbrella for Saudi Arabia, Asif refused to discuss specifics and reiterated Pakistan’s public stance of nuclear restraint.
  • In the same interview, Asif defended the government’s handling of former prime minister Imran Khan’s detention without detailing a legal basis and claimed Khan is running his Twitter account from jail.