The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, hinted on Friday that some countries were showing interest in the construction of strategic defense agreements with Pakistan, after the historic pact of the country with Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a historic mutual defense agreement, under which any aggression against a State will be considered an attack against both. The pact was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Saudi heir prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riad on Wednesday.
The agreement occurred in the midst of diplomatic agitation in the Middle East and only a few months after a mortal conflict of India-Pakistan in May.
“It is premature to say anything, but other countries want to reach an agreement of this nature,” he told the journalists in London, answering a question about whether other states will join the pact or ink. “This was not signed during the night; he took several months.”
By calling the agreement a “historical pact”, FM Dar said that Pakistan has always maintained an informal defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, which is the same as the agreement signed on Wednesday.
“I think both parties are very happy. Let’s be sincere: Saudi Arabia has stayed with us during difficult times, such as sanctions. His support was very relevant and important,” he added. “Similarly, during the current crisis since 2022-2023, when we needed support from the IMF (International Monetary Fund), Saudi Arabia met us.”
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Reuters that nuclear weapons “were not on the radar” of the pact. He said the agreement could be extended to cover other nations of the Gulf.
“We have no intention of using this pact for any aggression,” Asif said. “But if the parties are threatened, then obviously this agreement will be operational.”
In contrast, he wondered a day ago about whether Pakistan’s nuclear assets were also at their use by virtue of the agreement, Asif said: “What we have, our capabilities, will be absolutely available under this pact.
The president of PPP and former Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, also welcomed development.
Separately, India said he expected Saudi Arabia to take into account mutual interests and sensibilities between him and the Pakistan archive.
“India and Saudi Arabia have a high -range strategic association that has deepened considerably in recent years,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, Randhir Jaiswal, to journalists during an informative session of weekly news.
“We hope that this strategic association takes into account mutual interests and sensibilities,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is one of the main oil exporters to India and the two countries agreed this year to increase cooperation in oil and liquefied oil gase supplies.
The two nations were also exploring joint projects in refineries and petrochemicals, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A day ago, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said he was aware that the pact had been under consideration and that he would study the implications for New Delhi.
The neighbors have fought three important wars, along with numerous clashes, including the four -day conflict in May, which was their strongest struggle in decades.
