NEW DELHI, Sept 20 – India on Friday underlined its “wide-ranging strategic partnership” with Saudi Arabia, saying ties between New Delhi and Riyadh have “deepened considerably” in recent years.
Responding to queries about the recently signed Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said:
“We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”
The comments came after Riyadh and Islamabad signed a deal on Wednesday pledging that an attack on either country would be viewed as aggression against both, raising questions over possible Saudi access to Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
While few details have been shared publicly, Saudi officials have described the agreement as covering “all military means.” Analysts told Reuters the pact signals Gulf nations’ declining confidence in the United States as a long-term security guarantor.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, however, insisted nuclear weapons were “not on the radar” of the agreement.
“We have no intention of using this pact for any aggression. But if the parties are threatened, then obviously this arrangement will become operative,” Asif said, adding the framework could eventually be extended to other Gulf states.
Riyadh has in the past warned it would pursue nuclear weapons if Iran were to acquire them.