By Abdullah Momand

Copyright dawn

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Friday that the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia earlier this week would not be used to threaten any other country.

Pakis-tan and Saudi Arabia entered into a landmark mutual defence agreement, under which any aggression against one state will be considered an attack on both. The pact was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday. On Thursday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated in an interview that the pact was defensive in nature.

During a weekly press briefing today, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan called the agreement “an important milestone for promoting peace and security in the region and the world” and noted that since the 1960s, a key pillar of the ties between Islamabad and Riyadh has been defence cooperation.

“The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement formalises this decades-old and robust defence partnership,” the spokesperson said. “It is defensive in nature and not directed against any third country. It will contribute to regional peace, security and stability.”