Pakistan Defence Minister’s bombshell: If need be, our nuclear programme can be given to the Saudis

Responding to a question on Pakistan’s Geo TV, Asif said, “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, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he said, marking the first public disclosure that Islamabad had put the Saudi kingdom under its nuclear security umbrella.

“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.

“We have not named any country whose attack would automatically trigger a retaliatory response. Neither has Saudi Arabia named any country, nor have we,” he said. “This is 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,” he said.

In New Delhi, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership that has deepened considerably in the last few years. We expect that our strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”

This was a much different response, demonstrating concern, than Thursday’s cautious and guarded statement that the Indian government was “studying the implications” of the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence agreement.

Sources in New Delhi said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a long-standing defence partnership that goes back several decades. While the US provides the overall security framework, in many cases Pakistan has provided manpower and expertise in the military domain. There are several examples of Gulf states turning to Pakistan while under threat.

Saudi Arabia first signed a defence agreement with Pakistan in 1967 and upgraded it in 1982 through a bilateral security cooperation agreement. At one point, over 15,000-20,000 Pakistan troops were stationed in the kingdom.

The Indian government, sources said, was aware of the new agreement being under consideration. It formalised existing understandings, particularly on Pakistan’s support to Saudi Arabia, sources said.

“We understand that the timeline may have been accelerated by the recent (Israeli) attacks on Doha (in Qatar),” sources said.

Sources said that the details of the agreement were not public but the reference to collective defence was in a joint statement.

Saudi Arabia, sources pointed out, has been one of the major hubs for re-employment of former Pakistan Army officers – the most famous example was the appointment in 2017 of former Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif as the lead commander of the Saudi-led forces against terror.

The defence pact is being read in Delhi as a response to Washington’s retrenchment from the region as a security provider, and Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha and the geopolitical ramifications across the region.

Israel’s aggressive behaviour – it has attacked countries in the region including Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Qatar – has alarmed many in West Asia. The Saudi-Pakistan pact is being viewed as a step towards formalising a collective security against Israel. But its India factor is not being underestimated and is also being looked at by New Delhi now.

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