Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign defense pact pledging mutual defense

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a defense pact pledging that any attack on either nation would be considered an attack on both. The agreement, named the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, was announced during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to the kingdom, after talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a joint statement from Pakistan's Foreign Office.

Under the accord, any aggression against either country will be deemed aggression against both, the Foreign Office said. Sharif traveled to Saudi Arabia at the crown prince's invitation, and the talks were described as a step toward deepening defense ties and regional security cooperation. The two governments described the pact as a framework to develop aspects of defense cooperation and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression.

The pact comes as Pakistan maintains close ties with Saudi Arabia, a key supplier of oil to Islamabad. Officials described the agreement as advancing mutual security interests and contributing to regional and global peace. The signing followed a period of rising tensions in the region after an Israeli airstrike on Hamas in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 9 that reportedly killed six people.

Officials said the pact will facilitate defense planning, modernization, joint exercises and information sharing, as well as other forms of cooperation. The statement described the agreement as a living framework that could expand defense cooperation over time. No timeline for full implementation was published.

Pakistan's relationship with Saudi Arabia has long anchored energy and defense considerations, and the pact reinforces that pattern. The agreement marks a formal step in the two countries' ongoing defense and energy partnership.