Source: Reference News Network
Reference News Network reported on September 20. According to the Associated Press report on September 19, Pakistan's Defense Minister stated on the 18th that if Saudi Arabia needs it, Pakistan's nuclear program "will be available" to Saudi Arabia according to the latest mutual defense agreement between the two countries. This marks the first time Islamabad has explicitly acknowledged putting the Saudi Arabia under its nuclear umbrella.
Commentary by Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Mohammed Assivly highlights the importance of the agreement reached between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this week.
Analysts say the move is a signal to Israel, which has long been regarded as the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons.
Ashiv made the comments in an interview with Pakistani Gio TV on the question of whether "Pakistan's deterrence from nuclear weapons" would provide Saudi Arabia.
He said: "Regarding Pakistan's nuclear capability, I want to make one point: this capability was established when we conducted tests a long time ago. Since then, our troops have received battlefield training."
“What we have, and our capabilities, will be provided to [Saudi Arabia] under this agreement.”
The two countries signed a mutual defense agreement on the 17th, declaring that an attack on one country will be equivalent to an attack on another. The International Atomic Energy Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to Pakistan's defense minister's remarks. Asif criticized Israel in the interview for not fully disclosing its nuclear weapons program to the International Atomic Energy Agency. (Compiled/Wen Yi)