Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact: Nuclear programme to be available to Riyadh

Dubai: Pakistan’s defence minister says his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defense pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.

Defence minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s comments underline the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.

The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation. It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety as the Israel-Hamas war has set the region on edge.

DEFENCE MINISTER ON ‘N’ PROGRAM

Speaking to Geo TV in an interview late Thursday night, Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia.

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

The two countries signed a defence deal Wednesday declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both. Neither country has responded to questions about the pact and what it meant with regard to possibly accessing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the Pakistani defense minister's remarks. Asif criticiced Israel in the interview for not fully disclosing its suspected nuclear weapons program to the IAEA.

MOVE AFTER QATAR ATTACK

Israel has not comment on the two nations' defence pact. Pakistan long has criticised Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, but has not been directly involved in any war against it.