Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has asserted that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities “will absolutely be available” to Saudi Arabia under a newly signed strategic mutual defense pact, in remarks that mark the clearest public endorsement yet of what many interpret as extending Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella over the kingdom.
The agreement, signed September 17, in Riyadh between Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, establishes that an attack against either country would be considered an attack on both. The pact seeks to deepen defence cooperation, enhance joint deterrence, and ensure mutual security in the face of the region’s mounting tensions.
In a televised interview with Geo TV, Asif clarified that Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent—developed since its 1998 tests and maintained by forces trained for battlefield readiness—will be made available to Saudi Arabia under the partnership, though he emphasised the arrangement is “purely defensive.”
Analysts view the pact and Pakistan’s statements as a strategic signal in a region unsettled by recent developments including Israel’s airstrike in Doha and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Saudi Arabia appears to be seeking diversified security guarantees amid doubts over existing external protections.
Though Pakistan continues to maintain that its nuclear doctrine is aimed principally at India, the wording of the pact and Asif’s comments open the possibility that Saudi Arabia may now be covered by Pakistan’s deterrence capabilities. How exactly this “availability” would work—whether it means direct sharing of nuclear weapons, coordinated deterrence, or other technical, logistical or strategic support—remains undefined.
