Pakistan says defense pact ‘not against anyone,’ formalized brotherly ties with Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday clarified that Pakistan’s landmark defense agreement with Saudi Arabia was not against any particular country, stressing that it formalized Islamabad’s longstanding fraternal ties with the Kingdom.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia earlier this month signed a defense pact in Riyadh, according to which an attack on one country will be treated as an attack on both. The pact, sealed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to the Kingdom this month, is meant to enhance joint deterrence and deepen decades of military and security cooperation. Many analysts believe the agreement is also likely to open new avenues of economic cooperation between the two nations.
Speaking to reporters in London, Sharif described Saudi Arabia as a “brotherly country,” saying that Islamabad enjoyed close ties with the Kingdom for decades.
“We have formalized it [through defense pact],” the Pakistani premier said. “And the bottom line of the agreement is that if anyone attacks one of the brother countries, the attack will be seen as against the other. And both will combat it together with consultation. So I think this agreement is not against anyone,” he added.
