New Delhi: India on Thursday said it will carefully assess the implications of a mutual defence pact signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which commits both nations to consider “any aggression against either country as aggression against both.”
The agreement was signed in Riyadh following Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace. Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was also present during the meeting.
In a measured response, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the pact formalizes an arrangement that had long been under discussion 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 formalizes 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 MEA said in a statement.
According to a joint statement issued by Islamabad and Riyadh, the agreement builds on nearly eight decades of strategic partnership, emphasizing “brotherhood, Islamic solidarity, and shared strategic interests.” The pact seeks to expand defence cooperation and strengthen joint deterrence against external aggression.
The agreement comes at a time of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack and New Delhi’s counter-offensive, Operation Sindoor.
Despite strained relations with Islamabad, India has deepened its engagement with Riyadh in recent years. Saudi Arabia is now India’s second-largest trading partner, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the kingdom three times during his tenure. In 2016, he was awarded the King Abdulaziz Sash, Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour.
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