Pakistan 'factor' in Saudi defence deal & US' Chabahar Port call; New Delhi examining implications

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that it is examining the implications of the US decision to revoke sanctions waiver for Chabahar Port.

In the wake of Riyadh sealing a defence pact with Pakistan, India expects Saudi Arabia to keep in mind "mutual interests and sensitivities". "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," MEA spokesman Randheer Jaiswal said.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries do not have significant military capabilities. While the US provides an overall security framework, in many cases Pakistan has provided manpower and expertise in the military domain. Whenever Gulf states have come under threat, whether from Arab nationalism or Iran, they have turned to Pakistan. Saudi Arabia first signed the defence pact with Pakistan in 1967 and upgraded it in 1982 through a bilateral security cooperation agreement. At one point of time, more than 15,000 Pakistani troops were stationed in the Kingdom.


Sources claimed India was aware of the agreement under consideration. It formalises existing understandings, particularly on Pakistani support to Saudi Arabia. "We understand that the timeline may have been accelerated by the recent attacks on Doha," a source explained.

While India is analysing the impact of the Saudi-Pakistan deal and its wider ramifications in the Arab world, Sources told ET that Pakistan's role in lobbying against Chabahar Port located in close vicinity of Gwadar Port, part of CPEC, cannot be ruled out amid improvement in US-Pak ties under the Trump administration.

The decision, effective September 29, comes as part of Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. The waiver, issued under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act, had allowed India and other countries to continue work on the port without facing US penalties.