Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in an interview with Geo News, hinted that Saudi Arabian forces could potentially get involved if military tensions with India were to escalate.
Asif, when asked if Saudi troops would join Pakistan in a conflict with India, responded, “Ji bilkul, isme koi shak nahi hai,” emphasizing that the pact provides a joint defence framework. He clarified that neither Pakistan nor Saudi Arabia has explicitly named any country as an aggressor, calling the arrangement an “umbrella” to respond to any acts of aggression.
“We have not named any country as the aggressor, nor has Saudi Arabia. This is simply an umbrella arrangement provided by both sides. In case of any aggression, from any country, it will be jointly addressed and defended. This is not an aggressive pact or a conventional defence arrangement,” he further added when the anchor quizzed him if Saudi forces would intervene if tensions arise between Pakistan and India and if Pakistani forces will step in if Saudi Arabia faces an aggressor.
“We have no intention of using this pact for any aggression. But if the parties are threatened, then obviously this arrangement will become operative,” a separate report by Reuters quoted Asif as saying.
The Saudi–Pakistan agreement, signed in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commits both countries to treat an attack on one as an attack on the other.
Meanwhile, India on Friday said it expects its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia to continue reflecting “mutual interests and sensitivities” following the signing of the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact.
