Days after Islamabad and Riyadh signed a new defence pact, Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif has asserted that Saudi Arabia will stand by Pakistan in the event of a war with India.
Speaking to Geo TV, the anchor asked Asif, “Will Saudi Arabia get involved if India and Pakistan go to war?”
Asif responded: “Yes absolutely. There’s no doubt about it.”
Also read: Pakistan-Saudi Arabia pact: Both share decades-long defence partnership
Asif emphasised that the deal’s “strategic mutual assistance” element commits both Islamic nations to act jointly in case of an attack. “If either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia is attacked from anywhere, it will be considered an attack on both nations, and we will respond together,” he said.
The assertion comes against the backdrop of recent tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after India launched its counterterror action under Operation Sindoor in May, following the Pakistan-sponsored Pahalgam terror attack.
Also read: Defence pact: Saudi Arabia under Pakistan's nuclear umbrella - could more Gulf nations follow?
The agreement, formally titled the " Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement ", was signed earlier this week in Riyadh. It pledges joint defence in case either country is attacked and consolidates decades-old security ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Deputy PM Ishaq Dar has said other countries are also interested in similar strategic defence arrangements with Islamabad after the Saudi pact.
Meanwhile, India issued a response on Thursday, stating it would closely study the pact’s implications for national security.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration. We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The Government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.”
Also read: Islamic Nato? Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact - what it means for India
Jaiswal further mentioned that New Delhi “acknowledges the formalisation of what it described as a ‘long-standing arrangement’ between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan,” while stressing India’s national security remains paramount.
Speaking to Geo TV, the anchor asked Asif, “Will Saudi Arabia get involved if India and Pakistan go to war?”
Asif responded: “Yes absolutely. There’s no doubt about it.”
Also read: Pakistan-Saudi Arabia pact: Both share decades-long defence partnership
Asif emphasised that the deal’s “strategic mutual assistance” element commits both Islamic nations to act jointly in case of an attack. “If either Pakistan or Saudi Arabia is attacked from anywhere, it will be considered an attack on both nations, and we will respond together,” he said.
The assertion comes against the backdrop of recent tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after India launched its counterterror action under Operation Sindoor in May, following the Pakistan-sponsored Pahalgam terror attack.
Also read: Defence pact: Saudi Arabia under Pakistan's nuclear umbrella - could more Gulf nations follow?
The agreement, formally titled the " Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement ", was signed earlier this week in Riyadh. It pledges joint defence in case either country is attacked and consolidates decades-old security ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Deputy PM Ishaq Dar has said other countries are also interested in similar strategic defence arrangements with Islamabad after the Saudi pact.
Meanwhile, India issued a response on Thursday, stating it would closely study the pact’s implications for national security.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration. We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The Government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains.”
Also read: Islamic Nato? Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact - what it means for India
Jaiswal further mentioned that New Delhi “acknowledges the formalisation of what it described as a ‘long-standing arrangement’ between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan,” while stressing India’s national security remains paramount.
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