Saudi-Pakistan defense pact raises nuclear shield speculation

Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh

Riyadh, Sep 19: A landmark ‘Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement’ signed between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan this week is stirring global attention amid fears of a shifting security landscape in the Middle East.

The pact effectively combines Saudi Arabia’s financial clout with Pakistan’s powerful military — the only nuclear-armed force in the Muslim world — though both nations insist nuclear weapons are not part of the arrangement.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters that the deal is “not on the radar” for nuclear cooperation and is purely defensive. “We have no intention of using this pact for any aggression. But if the parties are threatened, then obviously this arrangement will become operative,” he said.

Analysts, however, sa