Saudi Arabia signs defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan after Israeli strike in Qatar
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday.
“This agreement ... aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the two countries emphasized in a joint statement.
The defense pact comes after years of close economic, security and religious relations between the Saudi Kingdom and Pakistan. The two countries bring different strengths to the partnership.
Pakistan, one of nine nations with nuclear weapons, has faced a decades-long rivalry with its larger, nuclear-armed neighbor India, while also struggling with economic challenges.
Saudi Arabia, by contrast, does not possess nuclear arms but wields substantial financial resources and diplomatic influence in the Middle East and internationally. Reports have suggested that Saudi Arabia has provided funding support for Pakistan’s nuclear program.
Some pundits have linked the timing of the Saudi defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan to the recent Israeli aerial strike on Hamas’ headquarters in Qatar's capital, Doha. While not explicitly mentioning Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, both the state-run Saudi Press Agency and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry declared that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, Saudi sources told The Financial Times that Pakistan’s nuclear protection was a key component of the agreement that will “utilize all defensive and military means deemed necessary depending on the specific threat.”
However, Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. diplomat dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan, expressed concerns about the Saudi-Pakistani pact, which he said comes in “dangerous times.”
“A potentially consequential step in Pakistan-Saudi relations has been reportedly been announced (sic), a mutual defense agreement (not on the level of a treaty, but it’s not clear if Saudi Arabia and Pakistan make a distinction between a treaty and an agreement) stating that any aggression against one country would be considered aggression against both,” Khalilzad wrote in a post on 𝕏.
He speculated that the move could be a reaction to Israel’s strike on Qatar, but that it could also confirm long-standing rumors that the Pakistani nuclear program has been cosponsored all along by the Saudis.
Khalilzad wrote, “Was this in reaction to the Israelis attacking a target in Qatar? Or does this confirm long-standing rumors that the Pakistani nuclear weapons program is unofficially ‘co-sponsored’ by the Saudis? Does the agreement have secret annexes, and if so, what do those say? Is the agreement an indication of declining confidence in US deterrence and defense on the part of Saudi Arabia and perhaps others? Pakistan has nuclear weapons and delivery systems that can hit targets across the Middle East, including Israel. It also is developing systems that can reach targets in the U.S. Many questions…dangerous times.”
While Saudi Arabia officially condemned the Israeli strike on Hamas in Qatar, it is primarily concerned about the Iranian regime’s aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons. The Saudi Kingdom previously warned that if Iran develops nuclear weapons, it would be forced to follow suit to counter the threat. The nuclear pact with Pakistan is likely to ease Saudi Arabia’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and, like many other Muslim-majority countries, prohibits its citizens from traveling there. Pakistani passports explicitly state: “Valid in all countries of the world except Israel.”
In addition, school textbooks in Pakistan promote antisemitism and the demonization of Israel, according to a report published last month by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).
The report found that the books depict Israel as an adversary of Muslims, and some even praise Nazi leader Adolf Hitler for “restoring German pride,” omitting any reference to the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews or other crimes committed during World War II.
This article originally appeared on ALL ARAB NEWS and is reposted with permission.
