NEW YORK: 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” while skirting a question on whether the agreement involved nuclear weapons, reports Dawn.com.
Mr Asif made the remarks in an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan for Zeteo, which shared a five-minute preview and clips on social media.
On Sept 17, PM Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a defence pact in Riyadh, declaring that an attack on one would be considered an attack on both.
The accord, signed after an Arab summit and Israel’s attack on Qatar, reflects shared defence concerns. It also follows the May India-Pakistan clash and the June Iran-Israel war.
Denies the move is reaction to Israeli bombing of Qatar
Earlier, Mr Asif hinted Pakistan’s nuclear capability could be extended to Riyadh, but later denied it, saying nukes 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 sped it up a bit, but that is all. It was already in the offing,’’ Mr Asif replied.
Hasan noted Pakistan was the Muslim world’s only nuclear power, with Saudi Arabia eyeing the status, and reminded Asif he had earlier said nukes were “not on the radar” for this pact.
“Is Saudi Arabia protected by Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella under this agreement or not?” Hasan asked.
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have shared defence ties for decades, with thousands of our troops once stationed there. This pact formalises what was previously a transactional arrangement,” the minister said.
“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.
Sensationalism
Hasan noted that in his 2024 book War, journalist Bob Woodward quoted the Saudi crown prince as telling a US senator 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.
Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2025