Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact sends nuclear umbrella signal to Israel

A week after Israel bombed Qatar, Saudi Arabia has signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan in what analysts say will be an extension of Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella over the Gulf kingdom and is a clear signal to the United States for failing to intercept Israeli missiles during the attack.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Riyadh on Wednesday, which stipulated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both”.

The agreement “aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression”, according to a joint statement issued by Islamabad and Riyadh. It was based on the “historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades” and “shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation” between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Although the statement did not mention Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, the only one possessed by a Muslim-majority country, analysts said it would be part of its arrangement with Saudi Arabia.

“This allows Saudi Arabia to benefit from the Pakistani nuclear umbrella,” said Ali Shihabi, a prominent Saudi political commentator reputed to be close to the crown prince.

The mutual defence pact “rejuvenates” Saudi Arabia’s military relationship with Pakistan, which deployed 10,000 troops along its border with the kingdom during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.