Pakistan minister calls for Islamic NATO, welcomes Arab states to join Saudi defence pact

A mutual defence pact reached on Wednesday between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is open to the accession of other Arab states, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said.

Speaking to Geo TV in an interview late Thursday night, Asif denied any prior coordination with the United States regarding the agreement.

It marked the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella.

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

Neither country has responded to questions about what the pact means regarding Saudi access to Pakistani nuclear protection. 

Asif, whose country is one of nine in the world to possess nukes – including Israel which has never admitted it but is believed to do so – emphasised that Pakistan will use "everything at its disposal" to implement the agreement, including nuclear power.

He added that "all these capabilities will be subject to the mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, but I hope no one will test us."

"We have not named any country whose attack would automatically trigger a retaliatory response. Neither has Saudi Arabia named any country, nor have we," Asif said in the interview.

"This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party – from any side – it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response."

The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel. It comes after Israel’s unprecedented airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety, as the Gaza war devastated the enclave and set the region on edge.

Israel has not commented on the two Islamic nations' defence pact.

Asif said that his country's military relations with Saudi Arabia are not new.

The Pakistani military has trained Saudi forces, he said, but the new agreement "is completely different and marks the beginning of a new chapter, under which Saudi territory must be defended just as Pakistan is defended, and vice versa.

"This means that Saudi Arabia is obligated under the agreement to do the same if Pakistan is subjected to any aggression."

The minister revealed that the pact is open to other Arab countries, stressing the need to create an Islamic alliance similar to NATO.

Egypt is reportedly lobbying to set up a NATO-style force in the Middle East after Israel’s attack on Qatar.

"Islamic and Arab countries have the right to defend the region and its sovereignty, just as other countries do. I don't think anyone has the right to object to that, because we have our own will and know our borders and frameworks," Asif said.

"The agreement is not against any country and is not pursuit of hegemony, but rather for mutual defence. We defend Saudi territory as we defend our own, and Saudi Arabia will do the same.

"I can say the door is not closed to others," he added.

Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons programme to counter India’s atomic bombs.

The South Asian neighbours have fought multiple wars against each other, and again came close to open warfare after an attack on tourists in April in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to days of cross-border clashes.

India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the US-published Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Pakistan's Shaheen 3 ballistic missile, believed to be able to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, has a maximum range of 2,750 kilometres (1,700 miles) – making it capable of reaching Israel.

Pakistan has long criticised Israel's treatment of the Palestinians but has not been directly involved in any war against it. Neither nation has diplomatic ties to Israel.

Agencies contributed to this report.