Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif has disclosed that his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defense pact.
It marked the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.
According to statements issued by both Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the new defence deal, signed between the two countries on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, states that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
The agreement also aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.
The Pakistani Defence Minister’s comments underline the importance of the agreement made this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.
Speaking in an interview, he made comments on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia.
“Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield.
“What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement.”
Khawaja Mohammad Asif
Saudi Arabia has long been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear program. Retired Pakistani Brig. Gen. Feroz Hassan Khan has said Saudi Arabia provided “generous financial support to Pakistan that enabled the nuclear program to continue, especially when the country was under sanctions.”
Pakistan faced US sanctions for years over its pursuit of the bomb, and saw new ones imposed over its ballistic missile work at the end of the Biden administration.
Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons program to counter India’s atomic bombs. The two neighbors have fought multiple wars against each other, and again came close to open warfare after an attack on tourists in April in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the U.S.-published Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Pakistan’s Shaheen 3 ballistic missile, believed to be able to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, has a maximum range of 2,750 kilometers (1,700 miles) — making it capable of reaching Israel.
A Signal To Israel
Meanwhile, the new defence pact is seen by Analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation.
It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety as the Israel-Hamas war devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge.
Pakistan long has criticized Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, but has not been directly involved in any war against it. While neither nation has diplomatic ties to Israel, American officials had sought to mediate a diplomatic recognition deal involving Saudi Arabia before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war.
“We have not named any country whose attack would automatically trigger a retaliatory response. Neither has Saudi Arabia named any country, nor have we.
“This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party — from any side — it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response.”
Khawaja Mohammad Asif
The deal came a week after the attack in Doha as Gulf Arab countries weigh how to defend themselves. Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, have stretched across Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.
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