New Delhi, which fought a brief conflict with Islamabad in May, has said it will study the implications of the move<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a formal mutual defense pact, further strengthening the decades-long security partnership between the two Muslim nations.
\nThe move comes shortly after an extraordinary joint session between the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in which member states condemned last week\u2019s Israeli attack on the Qatari capital, Doha, which targeted officials from Palestinian armed group Hamas. According to media reports, the incident caused concern among Gulf nations about the ability of the US to guarantee their security.
\nSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the defense pact between their countries in Riyadh on Wednesday.
\n“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,\u201d the joint statement by Riyadh and Islamabad read.
\nAccording to the deal, any attack against Saudi Arabia or Pakistan \u201cshall be considered an aggression against both,\u201d it stressed.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Putin sends Modi best wishes on 75th birthday<\/p>\n
India, which fought a four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May following a terrorist attack on tourists in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, said it will \u201cstudy the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability.\u201d
\nNew Delhi was aware of security ties between Riyadh and Islamabad and knew that a defense pact between them had been in the works, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.
\nA senior Saudi official told Reuters that the deal with Pakistan was \u201ca culmination of years of discussions. This is not a response to specific countries or specific events.\u201d
\nSaudi Arabia\u2019s relationship with India \u201cis more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship and seek to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: India and US resume trade talks after hiatus<\/p>\n
Military ties between Riyadh and Islamabad date back more than half a century, with thousands of Saudi officers receiving training in Pakistan. The defense partnership remains active through training programs and joint exercises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi, which fought a brief conflict with Islamabad in May, has said it will study the implications of the move Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a formal…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t