Pakistan Denies Rumors of Nuclear Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia

The Pakistani Defense Minister affirmed that no decision has been made to sell nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia under the recent defense agreement. He explained that the discussions over signing the defense pact with Riyadh are not related to Israeli aggression against Qatar; rather, Islamabad and Riyadh have been in consultations for several years, dedicating significant time to reach a satisfactory outcome.

According to Rokna, speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the online network “Zatoo,” hosted by Mehdi Hasan in New York, that the proposed defense treaty with Saudi Arabia is not connected to Israel’s actions against Qatar. He emphasized that Islamabad and Riyadh have pursued these discussions for years to arrive at a mutually agreeable framework.

In response to questions about whether Saudi Arabia would come under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella under this defense pact, the minister said: “Pakistan is a responsible country, and any sale of nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia under this defense agreement is untrue.”

He added that Pakistan has maintained a long-standing defense relationship with Saudi Arabia over the past half-century, including military presence, with possibly more than four to five thousand personnel stationed in the kingdom. The recent defense agreement, he noted, formalizes and strengthens these longstanding ties.

The minister declined to provide detailed terms of the agreement, noting: “I will not go into details, but this is a defense pact, and such agreements are typically not discussed publicly.”

Following the announcement of the joint strategic defense pact, political and media circles speculated about Pakistan potentially extending its nuclear deterrence to Saudi Arabia, while some suggested a new phase of nuclear cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated in recent weeks that the country’s nuclear doctrine is a domestic matter, emphasizing that Islamabad does not coordinate on this issue with any individual or country.

Shafqat Ali Khan explained: “Pakistan engages in strategic stability dialogues with several countries, where we exchange perspectives and inform each other of our assessments. This is an ongoing process, but the doctrine we have developed and continue to evolve remains an internal matter. It is not subject to what other countries may suggest to us.”