Pakistan opens up its nuclear programme to Saudi Arabia under defence pact, India keeping close watch

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has said that the country’s nuclear capability “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if required under the two nations’ newly signed defence pact, in what is the first clear acknowledgement that Islamabad has extended its nuclear deterrent to Riyadh.

In an interview with Geo TV, Asif underlined the significance of the agreement reached this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, countries that have shared close military cooperation for decades.

What the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact means

“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,” he said, adding, “What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement.”

The pact signed this week states that an attack on one country will be treated as an attack on both. Neither Islamabad nor Riyadh has clarified whether this includes direct access to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, but Asif’s remarks are the strongest indication so far that Saudi Arabia has been brought under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella.

The development comes as a message to Israel, widely regarded as the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation, and follows an Israeli strike in Qatar that killed six Hamas leaders, intensifying security concerns among Gulf Arab states as the conflict in Gaza continues.

Saudi Arabia has long been associated with Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Retired Pakistani Brigadier General Feroz Hassan Khan has previously noted that Riyadh provided “generous financial support to Pakistan that enabled the nuclear programme to continue, especially when the country was under sanctions.” Pakistan itself endured years of US sanctions for pursuing nuclear weapons, with further restrictions imposed over its ballistic missile activities at the end of the Joe Biden administration.

India’s reaction

In its first remarks on the defence deal, India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said New Delhi and Riyadh share a broad strategic partnership that has grown stronger in recent years.

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