Pakistan’s Defence Minister said the country’s nuclear programme “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defence pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.

Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s comments late Thursday (September 18, 2025) night underlined the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades.

The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation. It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety amid the Israel-Hamas war that’s devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge.

Speaking to Geo TV in an interview, Mr. Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia.

“Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield,” Mr. Asif said.

“What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he added.

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The two countries signed a defence deal Wednesday declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both.

Neither country has responded to questions about the pact and what it meant in regards to possibly accessing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Saudi Arabia has long been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Retired Pakistani Brigadier General Feroz Hassan Khan has said Saudi Arabia provided “generous financial support to Pakistan that enabled the nuclear programme to continue, especially when the country was under sanctions.”

Pakistan faced U.S. sanctions for years over its pursuit of the bomb, and saw new ones imposed over its ballistic missile work at the end of the Biden administration.

Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons programme to counter India’s atomic bombs. India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the U.S.-published Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) signed a defence pact under which any aggression against either country shall be considered as an act of aggression against both, according to media reports.

The ‘Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement’ was signed during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, where he was received by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace, Geo News reported.

According to the Dawn newspaper, a statement from PM Sharif’s office announced the signing of the pact, which stated that any aggression against either country shall be considered an act of aggression against both.

“Building on a partnership extending nearly eight decades and grounded in bonds of brotherhood, Islamic solidarity and shared strategic interests, the two sides signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement,” a joint statement released after the signing ceremony said.

The pact reflects a joint commitment to enhance bilateral security ties and contribute to regional and global peace, the statement said.

“It aims to develop defence cooperation further and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. Crucially, the agreement stipulates that any aggression against one country shall be considered aggression against both,” Geo News reported.

Also read: Pakistan, Saudi agree to elevate strategic partnership in July 2025

PM Sharif was earlier received by Riyadh Deputy Governor Muhammad bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz upon his arrival in the Saudi capital.

He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Environment Minister Musadik Malik and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy a historic relationship, rooted in shared faith, values and mutual trust, and the visit will provide an important opportunity for the two leaders to consolidate this unique partnership while exploring new avenues of collaboration for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries, the Foreign Office had said ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the oil-rich kingdom.

This is his third visit to the Gulf region within a week. He earlier visited Qatar twice, on Thursday (September 11, 2025) and Monday (September 15, 2025), to express solidarity with Doha following Israel’s attack on the Hamas leadership in the Gulf country and to attend an emergency meeting of Arab-Islamic nations on the issue.