Pakistan to Extend Nuclear Deterrent to Saudi Arabia Under New Defense Pact
Islamabad, Pakistan – A newly ratified defense agreement between Pakistan adn Saudi Arabia could see the extension of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program to benefit the Kingdom, according to Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif. The pact, signed Wednesday, stipulates that an attack on either nation will be considered an attack on both.
Asif, in a recent interview with Geo TV, stated that Saudi Arabia would benefit from the “deterrent effect” of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. “Let me be clear about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capacity – it was established a long time ago when we conducted tests. As then, our strengths have been trained for the battlefield,” he said. “What we have, the capacity we possess, will be made available [for Saudi Arabia] through this agreement.”
The agreement follows a week after an Israeli bombing of a residential area in Doha, Qatar – a neighboring country to Saudi Arabia – which resulted in multiple fatalities, including five Hamas members.While details of how Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities will be extended remain undisclosed, the defense pact signals a deepening security alliance between the two nations. Pakistan first tested its nuclear weapons in 1998, establishing a nuclear deterrent capability that Asif now asserts is ready for deployment in support of Saudi Arabia.
