Pak-Saudi defence pact not linked to Israel’s attack on Qatar: Khawaja Asif

NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan’s defence agreement with Saudi Arabia is not linked to Israel’s attack on Qatar but is the outcome of years of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

On September 9, Israel launched an airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar, expanding military actions that had ranged across the Middle East to include the Gulf Arab state where the Palestinian Islamist group has long had its political base.

Qatar, which has acted as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks on a ceasefire in the almost two-year-old war in Gaza, condemned the attack as “cowardly” and called it a flagrant violation of international law.

On September 18, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) which said “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”.

In an interview with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan, Asif clarified that the pact reflects decades-long relations and collaboration between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

He said Pakistan’s defence ties with Saudi Arabia span five to six decades.

“Our troops have been deployed in Saudi Arabia in the past as well. At one point, nearly 4,000 to 5,000 personnel were stationed there, and even today our forces remain present on Saudi soil,” he added.

Asif said the recent agreement aimed to formalise the partnership within a structured framework rather than forging a new arrangement.

“The deal only institutionalises our longstanding defence ties, which were previously based on individual transactions,” he noted.

On a question regarding nuclear weapons, the defence minister reiterated Pakistan’s stance, saying that since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he is not in favour of using nuclear weapons.

He stressed that Pakistan is committed to global norms of restraint concerning the use of nuclear weapons.

Commenting on Pakistan’s internal politics, Asif said: “Our democracy has not yet reached its peak, but we are on the path. I myself spent six months in jail without committing any crime.”

Earlier,  Pakistan clarified that the security pack signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is purely defensive in nature and not directed against any third country.

At the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that the pact will play an important role in promoting peace, security, and stability in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had said that the historic defence pact with Saudi Arabia was not finalised overnight but took several months to conclude.

Speaking to the media in London, Dar said that a defence partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had always existed.