Defence Pact : Its Nuclear Programme Can Be Made Available To Saudi Arabia Says Pakistan
New Delhi : Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said his country’s nuclear capabilities could be extended to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact, marking the first time that Islamabad has openly acknowledged placing the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella. The pact, signed on Wednesday, declares that an attack on one nation will be considered an attack on both.
Describing Pakistan as an abiding nuclear power, the Defence Minister said his country’s nuclear installations were open for inspections. All our nuclear installations are open to inspections. We get certificates for our facilities. Israel, despite being a nuclear power, has not opened its facilities to anyone. All Western nations know that. Many decades ago, Israel retaliated and questioned why its nuclear inspections were being done,” the Defence Minister said.
Asif had also stressed that nuclear weapons were not on the radar of the pact. The defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Gulf following Israeli strikes across the region, including a deadly attack in Doha targeting top Hamas leaders. In a weekly press briefing on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India expected Saudi Arabia to keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities” in the wake of Riyadh sealing the defence pact with Islamabad.
Jaiswal also said that India will take all steps to protect its national interests and ensure comprehensive national security in all domains. He also said New Delhi will study the implications of the pact for its national security as well as for regional and global stability.
