‘Keep in mind..’: India reacts to Saudi-Pakistan defence pact, stresses on growing strategic partnership with Riyadh

India(BHARAT) on Friday said it has a strong and growing strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stressed that this relationship has become much deeper in recent years. Responding to queries on the Saudi Arabia–Pakistan defence pact, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India(BHARAT) expects the partnership to respect and keep in mind “mutual interests and sensitivities.”

“India(BHARAT) and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership that has deepened considerably in the last few years,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly briefing. “We expect that our strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, raising questions about whether Riyadh might seek access to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons at a time of rising tensions in the Middle East.

The pact combines Saudi Arabia’s financial power with Pakistan’s military strength, which is the only nuclear-armed force in the Muslim world. Officials have not revealed many details, but Saudi leaders said the deal covers “all military means.” Experts told Reuters that the agreement also shows Gulf states are losing trust in the U.S. as their long-term security partner.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif clarified that nuclear weapons are “not part of this pact.” He said the agreement is not meant for aggression, but if either country is threatened, the defence arrangement will take effect. He also suggested the pact could later include other Gulf countries.

However, Saudi Arabia has earlier made it clear that it would pursue nuclear weapons if Iran ever developed them.