By Dawn.com

Copyright dawn

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the recently signed Pak-Saudi defence pact had “formalised” a relationship between the two countries that was previously “a bit transactional”.

Asif made the remarks during an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan for Zeteo. The full interview is behind a paywall but the media company has shared a five-minute preview as well as clips on social media.

On September 17, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had signed a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.

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”.

In the preview posted on Zeteo’s website on Friday night, Hasan asked Asif about the defence pact.

“How much of it is a reaction to the Israeli bombing of Qatar?” he asked.

“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 replied.

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 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 refrained from going 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.