New Delhi: Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a mutual defence agreement during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's state visit to Riyadh. A key clause of this pact states that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both".
In a measured response, India has stated that this pact formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries.
"We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The government was aware that this development, which formalises a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration.
"We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The Government remains committed to protecting India's national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains," the Ministry of External Affairs said in response to a media query.
A joint statement said the Pakistan Prime Minister visited Riyadh on the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday. The Saudi Prince met Sharif at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. "The two sides reviewed the historic and strategic relations between both countries, and a number of topics of common interest," it said.
The statement said the mutual defence pact builds on the "historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades" between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. This pact is also based on the "bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defense cooperation between the two countries", the statement says.
"This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both," it adds. A photo of this meeting shows Pakistan Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir along with Sharif and the Saudi Prince.
This agreement is significant at a time when relations between India and Pakistan have nosedived in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's counterstrike, Operation Sindoor.
The Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi has seen a steady growth in the bilateral engagement between New Delhi and Riyadh. India is now the second-largest trading partner for Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam during the Prime Minister's state visit to Riyadh in April this year. A joint statement had said that the two sides had agreed that "there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever". "They condemned cross-border terrorism, and called on all States to reject the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructure where it exists, and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly," it added.
Prime Minister Modi has made three visits to Saudi Arabia, and in 2016, he was conferred Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash.
