By Arun Nair

Copyright timesnownews

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said that the recently signed strategic mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia was “not a reaction to what happened in Qatar”, but added that Israel’s action in the Gulf emirate “may have sped it up a bit”. He also added that the defence pact has “formalised” a relationship between the two countries that was previously “a bit transactional”. Previously, Asif had suggested that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities could be made available to Riyadh under the new framework. However, in a subsequent interview, the minister denied that nuclear weapons were part of the accord, saying they were “not on the radar”. Asked whether the pact was a reaction to the Israeli bombing of Qatar, Asif said: “It is not a reaction to what happened in Qatar because this was being negotiated for quite some time. So, it’s not a reaction; perhaps it must have sped it up a bit, but that is all”. “It was already in the offing,” Asif said in response to a question by journalist Mehdi Hasan during an interview with Zeteo, Dawn newspaper reported. Hasan then pointed out that Pakistan was the only nuclear power in the Muslim world, noting that Saudi Arabia had expressed interest in being the second. He also pointed out that Asif had previously stated that nuclear weapons “were not on the radar” for this pact. “Is Saudi Arabia protected by Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella per this agreement or not?” he asked. “We have had a very long defence relationship with Saudi Arabia, spanning five or six decades. We had a military presence over there, perhaps more than four or five thousand at the peak, and we still have a military presence over there. I think we have just formalised that relationship, which was previously a bit transactional,” Asif responded. “Formalised with or without the nukes?” Hasan probed. However, the minister declined to go into the details. “I will refrain from going into the details, but it’s a defence pact and defence pacts are normally not discussed publicly,” he said. Hasan then pointed out that journalist Bob Woodward, in his 2024 book ‘War’, had quoted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telling a US senator that he could “just buy” a bomb from Pakistan. “I think that is just sensationalised […] No, I don’t believe that quote,” the minister replied. “So you are not in the business of selling nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia?” “No. We are very responsible people,” Asif responded. A Pakistan-Saudi joint statement after the defence agreement said the pact builds on the historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades between the two countries, and is based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation between the two countries. Earlier, the two sides had signed a bilateral security cooperation agreement in 1982 that enabled Pakistani training, advisory support and deployments on Saudi soil. With inputs from PTI