An attack on one nation would be deemed “an aggression against both” according to a new strategic defense agreement that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed on Wednesday.
The deal was reached two days after an Israeli assault in neighboring Qatar that targeted Hamas officials sent shockwaves through the Gulf governments that have historically relied on the US for security.
“This agreement… aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” read a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency.
“The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” it added.
The deal was signed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The signing of the pact comes just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides in missile, drone and artillery fire, the worst clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours since 1999.
Following a fatal shooting incident on Indian visitors that ignited the dispute, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi abruptly ended his April trip to Saudi Arabia.
Both nuclear-armed nations, India and Pakistan, have long accused one another of supporting militant groups that want to undermine the other.
It is thought that Saudi Arabia was instrumental in defusing the situation.
For many years, it has been a major source of oil for India, the most populated nation on earth.
India’s rapidly developing economy relies heavily on petroleum imports, with Saudi Arabia ranked as its third-largest supplier according to the Indian foreign ministry.
Islamabad has also fostered close links with Saudi Arabia for decades, with over 2.5 million of its nationals estimated to be living and working in the kingdom.
The kingdom has long been a bulwark of economic support to help shore up Pakistan’s faltering economy.
*
Email *
Website
