Overview

• Saudi Arabia and Pakistan announced a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement that says an attack on one will be treated as an attack on both, formalising decades of cooperation.
• Pakistan’s Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Geo TV that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities would be made available to Saudi Arabia, then told Reuters nuclear weapons were not on the pact’s radar, while a senior Saudi official described the deal as covering all military means.
• India’s foreign ministry said it expects Saudi Arabia to keep mutual interests and sensitivities in mind and that it will study the agreement’s consequences for national security and regional stability.
• Asif said on Pakistani television that Saudi Arabia would stand with Pakistan in the event of a war with India, framing the pact as a joint defensive umbrella rather than an offensive arrangement.
• Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar said other countries have expressed interest in similar agreements, and analysts say the deal reflects Riyadh’s push to diversify security partners following Israel’s strike in Doha.